Choosing my PC over a new console
With Sony and Microsoft duking it out for supremacy in the next-gen market, the console war is back in force. It’s been about 7 years since the last major salvos went out vying for your wallet and market supremacy. While I do have a PS3 and an Xbox 360 sitting on my shelves, I’m going to be sitting it out for awhile this time around. The fact is, I built a next-gen style PC a year ago and it’s running everything I could want it to at max settings and usually pushing 60 fps while doing it. I’m sure I may not represent the vast body of gamers, but for me PC gaming is the way to go.
You can go with this, or you can go with that
So yeah, I got a bit crazy and decided to build myself a computing powerhouse about a year ago and I did it from scratch. However, I’m thinking that a lot of gamers already own a PC. Presuming the average gamer is only getting one next gen system, I have to wonder if $400 (rough cost of a PS4) worth of upgrades to that existing PC would be enough to make it a gaming computer. Though that presumes that the average gamer doesn’t have the touch of doom when it comes to the internal workings of a PC. I’ve known a few people; it wasn’t pretty. However, if we’re talking about someone that doesn’t kill electronics with a single touch, upgrading RAM and a video card are relatively low maintenance and easy. If the old PC requires a whole new board and processor, that could be a bit more difficult. It’s still less than two new game consoles in most cases.
Over-delivering value
When we talk about the price of games, things can get a bit touchy. I know that a popular and hotly debated topic of discussion these days is the secondary game market. I am not touching that monstrosity here because I’m not fond of death threats. Of course, if you’re into the MMO or PvP scene, there are a ridiculous number of free to play options available on PC. No GameStop required. I have played a number of superb ones like Firefall, Neverwinter, Warframe, and Hawken. If you’re willing to pay for games and you’re interested in a bit of nostalgia, Good Old Games (www.gog.com) is a fantastic source for older games and many that are DRM free. For modern games, there’s the behemoth that is Steam. Yes, they use DRM. That’s a big issue for people that are concerned about the concept of ownership over the things they buy. However, there are also rumors that Steam may implement sharing of games in the future. Sharing digital games is like some beautiful pixel-filled dream. Still, even if Steam were to be approaching bankruptcy, all you would need to do is put it into offline mode and leave it that way permanently in order to continue enjoying all of the games you’ve downloaded. When Steam has sales that slash prices by 75%, I have a hard time justifying the need for a secondary game market at all.
It’s not perfect
Even though it’s my prefered method fcr gaming, PC gaming does lack a few things when compared to consoles. I’d be hard pressed to find a PC with controllers anywhere near as interesting as those for the Wii U. You’re certainly not likely to find games that use peripherals like the Kinect either. Needless to say, you’re not going to find a lot of party games for PCs. Then there’s the problem with user experience. Consoles provide the same hardware and therefore a uniform experience for each player. With PCs you run the risk of having some sort of quirky hardware incompatibility that other users just do not experience. It’s a serious problem that’s bound to affect most gamers at some point. Meanwhile, if there’s a problem with a game for a console, then everyone will have the same issue. And speaking of experiences: there are a lot of exclusive titles for consoles that will likely never find their way to a PC. Some of these franchises are highly loved by players and I can’t fault them for wanting to stick to consoles because of them.
It already does that
With those negatives aside, PCs are far more than just a platform to play video games. They already have access to Netflix, Hulu (without paying for HuluPlus), Amazon Prime, or any number of other services that consoles are trying to deliver. You can already stream your gameplay to Twitch.tv or watch YouTube videos. You can also do all of the other things that you already use a computer to do. In fact, go like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter since you’re not reading this on your game console. It’s cool, I’ll wait. … Back? Anyway, it’s also super easy to hook a PC up to a modern TV with an HDMI cable and enjoy all of this cool stuff on a big screen. Desktop monitors are out of style anyway.
I’ll skip the hype war, thanks
When you add the ability to mod your case to fit your decor and the relative ease of future upgrades, there are tons of reasons to pick up gaming on a PC. There’s very little chance that I’ll personally be picking up a next gen console anytime soon. I’m not part of the niche audience that Nintendo is targeting and I’m not getting sucked into the Sony vs. Microsoft hype war. It’s certainly not going to be the right choice for everybody, but I can’t claim to represent everybody. Is there some compelling argument for one side or the other that I’m missing? Am I just crazy for sticking with a keyboard and mouse? What do you think?
