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I’ve been thinking about writing about this issue for a few days now, but with the advent of a whole new forum devoted to the matter, it’s kind of spurred me on!
Over the last year or so, many concerns have risen over the future of PC gaming (read: there won’t be one). However, I’m here to tell everyone that can be bothered to read this that PC gaming has a good, profitable future ahead of it, just as much as consoles.
Ok, so it’s common fact that developers normally much more money from releasing games on console than PC, due to increased sales. But the PC gaming platform has many advantages over the consoles that ensure it a safe future.
Firstly, let’s get the technical issue out of the way. PC hardware is being constantly improved (read: made faster). The most powerful graphics card and processor of today won’t be so in 3 months time. Some would say this is a disadvantage of PC gaming; forcing us to constantly spend hundreds on hardware that could be going towards software. But that’s a load of rubbish. You go out and buy a top-spec PC for £1500 (trust me, you can) and it’ll last you at least 3 years.
When the time comes where the PC is a little slow for the latest games, you don’t need to go out and spend another £1500 for a new one (like you’d need to buy a new console), you merely upgrade the parts which require a little more horsepower. What’s more, you’ve got the option to sell on your old parts, if you so wish. The point I’ve just made? PC gaming is more expensive than console gaming, but as expensive would have you believe.
Getting back to the constant improvement of hardware. Developers creating games for PC have flexibility and power. When we all heard about X-Box’s PC-crushing specs a year or so ago, we were in awe. What’s the situation? PCs are far more powerful than the X-Box. This is how it has always been and will continue to be this way – PCs are more powerful than consoles. With this addition power, developers are able to realise their ideas on our monitor to a greater extent.
I remember reading an interview with the creator of MGS2 on PS2 – Hideo Kojima – not long ago. He was telling the interviewee that, although far more powerful that it’s predecessor, the PS2 was still restricting him and his ideas. There were many ideas that would have made MGS2 a better game, if the hardware could’ve coped.
PC gaming is leading the way with gameplay innovation. Chances are, gameplay featured in some of the latest PC titles, such as Medal of Honour: Allied Assault (which takes realism to a whole new level), won’t even be possible to implement using the current consoles (and I’m talking about Gamecube, etc here) and so console gamers will have to wait another five years until they have the chance to experience something which PC gamers will be accustomed to.
Next up – online gaming. PC gamers have been playing against each other from all four corners of the Earth for, what must be, almost a decade now. All the latest first-person shooter and strategy incorporate multi-player elements to complement the single-player and add to the overall longletivety of the title.
Console gaming, on the other hand, got its first taste of online gaming little more than a year ago in the form of ChuChu Rocket on Dreamcast. What happened? It was a flop. Online gaming was a major area of Sega’s business (read: money-making) plan with Dreamcast and it failed to live up to their expectations. And, as a result, it was one of the reasons for Dreamcast’s failure and Sega’s exit from the console hardware scene.
On the PC, however, online gaming is a well-established form of gaming. John Carmack (creator of Doom and Quake) knows that he’d be a fool not to include on-line elements in Doom III, simply because people will be expecting such extras, nowadays. He knows the day he releases this title, thousands of gaming servers will be set-up and will be full of eager players from around the globe 24/7.
Sure, this may be one of the worst countries from which to play online gaming, due to slow uptake of broadband internet (BT’s fault), but the situation is improving all the time. Everyday, more and more people, of all ages are logging onto the net (my Grandad’s just learnt to send e-mails) and broadband connections are becoming more accessible and cheaper as market competition increases.
The actual advantages of on-line gaming are that firstly, unlike console multi-player gaming, you don’t need to organise for all your mates to come round one day. You simply connect to the internet, load up your favourite game, and choose the game which suits you best. Chances are, there’ll be hundreds of other gamers from around the world already having piece of the action, so you can get stuck it right away!
Also, on-line gaming has the added advantage of having the capacity for tens, in not hundreds (depending on the game) of gamers to play at once. Despite the rapid advancement of technologies, I can’t ever see the day when you’ll be able to buy a console with 32 controller ports! Lots of players playing at once in the same game allows for vast battles, teamwork, and even friendships to form. Sure, there may be some gaming God mowing down anything that moves, but one outstanding player versus six average ones? On-line gaming heavily relies upon the players planning out their moves and working as a team, if they want to succeed.
Another big advantage of PC gaming, which doesn’t need much thought is the price of the games. For £45, you could pop down to your local GAME and get yourself a copy of Halo on X-Box (this is about a month in the future). However, if you’re a PC gamer, you could grab yourself a copy of Medal of Honour: Allied Assault (arguably the better game) for £30 and have enough left over for a good night out. For some reason, PC games are cheaper than console games. I don’t really know why (publishers still have to pay rights to Microsoft, like Konami would to Sony), but it doesn’t matter. What does matter is this – you get more game for less money.
One final advantage that springs to mind is the control system – the keyboard and mouse. Sure, there are some less-popular types of game that are better suited to being played with joypad. However, for the major genres (first-person shooter, action adventure, etc) NOTHING comes close to using the keyboard and mouse.
With the mouse acting as the head and the buttons acting as main action commands, while all the buttons on the keyboard taking care of movement and any other action the developer wishes to include, controlling the game couldn’t be easier. If you sat down the best PS2 Quake III player against the best PC Quake III player, the latter is almost certain to come out on top. Developers know this and this is why console manufacturers and 3rd party peripherals manufacturers bring out keyboards and mice for consoles. Mind you, they come in handy for word processing as well…
So, there you have it – the four biggest reasons why PC gaming is better that console gaming. Sure, console gaming has a lot going for it as well (I own many, myself), making it as successful as it is, but ignore all this rubbish about PCs crashing all the time. Particularly with the advent of Windows XP, PCs crashing is now as common as consoles crashing. So, I ask you, console gamer, hang up that over-used joypad, boot up that beige box sitting on the old dining room table, and experience a whole new side to gaming.
NOTE: Microsoft did not offer me a large wad of cash, or even an X-Box, to write this post. I wrote it because I’m trying to tell all you console gamers what you’ve been missing out on all these years.
I thank you for reading, if you bothered.
Uncle Albert
Over the last year or so, many concerns have risen over the future of PC gaming (read: there won’t be one). However, I’m here to tell everyone that can be bothered to read this that PC gaming has a good, profitable future ahead of it, just as much as consoles.
Ok, so it’s common fact that developers normally much more money from releasing games on console than PC, due to increased sales. But the PC gaming platform has many advantages over the consoles that ensure it a safe future.
Firstly, let’s get the technical issue out of the way. PC hardware is being constantly improved (read: made faster). The most powerful graphics card and processor of today won’t be so in 3 months time. Some would say this is a disadvantage of PC gaming; forcing us to constantly spend hundreds on hardware that could be going towards software. But that’s a load of rubbish. You go out and buy a top-spec PC for £1500 (trust me, you can) and it’ll last you at least 3 years.
When the time comes where the PC is a little slow for the latest games, you don’t need to go out and spend another £1500 for a new one (like you’d need to buy a new console), you merely upgrade the parts which require a little more horsepower. What’s more, you’ve got the option to sell on your old parts, if you so wish. The point I’ve just made? PC gaming is more expensive than console gaming, but as expensive would have you believe.
Getting back to the constant improvement of hardware. Developers creating games for PC have flexibility and power. When we all heard about X-Box’s PC-crushing specs a year or so ago, we were in awe. What’s the situation? PCs are far more powerful than the X-Box. This is how it has always been and will continue to be this way – PCs are more powerful than consoles. With this addition power, developers are able to realise their ideas on our monitor to a greater extent.
I remember reading an interview with the creator of MGS2 on PS2 – Hideo Kojima – not long ago. He was telling the interviewee that, although far more powerful that it’s predecessor, the PS2 was still restricting him and his ideas. There were many ideas that would have made MGS2 a better game, if the hardware could’ve coped.
PC gaming is leading the way with gameplay innovation. Chances are, gameplay featured in some of the latest PC titles, such as Medal of Honour: Allied Assault (which takes realism to a whole new level), won’t even be possible to implement using the current consoles (and I’m talking about Gamecube, etc here) and so console gamers will have to wait another five years until they have the chance to experience something which PC gamers will be accustomed to.
Next up – online gaming. PC gamers have been playing against each other from all four corners of the Earth for, what must be, almost a decade now. All the latest first-person shooter and strategy incorporate multi-player elements to complement the single-player and add to the overall longletivety of the title.
Console gaming, on the other hand, got its first taste of online gaming little more than a year ago in the form of ChuChu Rocket on Dreamcast. What happened? It was a flop. Online gaming was a major area of Sega’s business (read: money-making) plan with Dreamcast and it failed to live up to their expectations. And, as a result, it was one of the reasons for Dreamcast’s failure and Sega’s exit from the console hardware scene.
On the PC, however, online gaming is a well-established form of gaming. John Carmack (creator of Doom and Quake) knows that he’d be a fool not to include on-line elements in Doom III, simply because people will be expecting such extras, nowadays. He knows the day he releases this title, thousands of gaming servers will be set-up and will be full of eager players from around the globe 24/7.
Sure, this may be one of the worst countries from which to play online gaming, due to slow uptake of broadband internet (BT’s fault), but the situation is improving all the time. Everyday, more and more people, of all ages are logging onto the net (my Grandad’s just learnt to send e-mails) and broadband connections are becoming more accessible and cheaper as market competition increases.
The actual advantages of on-line gaming are that firstly, unlike console multi-player gaming, you don’t need to organise for all your mates to come round one day. You simply connect to the internet, load up your favourite game, and choose the game which suits you best. Chances are, there’ll be hundreds of other gamers from around the world already having piece of the action, so you can get stuck it right away!
Also, on-line gaming has the added advantage of having the capacity for tens, in not hundreds (depending on the game) of gamers to play at once. Despite the rapid advancement of technologies, I can’t ever see the day when you’ll be able to buy a console with 32 controller ports! Lots of players playing at once in the same game allows for vast battles, teamwork, and even friendships to form. Sure, there may be some gaming God mowing down anything that moves, but one outstanding player versus six average ones? On-line gaming heavily relies upon the players planning out their moves and working as a team, if they want to succeed.
Another big advantage of PC gaming, which doesn’t need much thought is the price of the games. For £45, you could pop down to your local GAME and get yourself a copy of Halo on X-Box (this is about a month in the future). However, if you’re a PC gamer, you could grab yourself a copy of Medal of Honour: Allied Assault (arguably the better game) for £30 and have enough left over for a good night out. For some reason, PC games are cheaper than console games. I don’t really know why (publishers still have to pay rights to Microsoft, like Konami would to Sony), but it doesn’t matter. What does matter is this – you get more game for less money.
One final advantage that springs to mind is the control system – the keyboard and mouse. Sure, there are some less-popular types of game that are better suited to being played with joypad. However, for the major genres (first-person shooter, action adventure, etc) NOTHING comes close to using the keyboard and mouse.
With the mouse acting as the head and the buttons acting as main action commands, while all the buttons on the keyboard taking care of movement and any other action the developer wishes to include, controlling the game couldn’t be easier. If you sat down the best PS2 Quake III player against the best PC Quake III player, the latter is almost certain to come out on top. Developers know this and this is why console manufacturers and 3rd party peripherals manufacturers bring out keyboards and mice for consoles. Mind you, they come in handy for word processing as well…
So, there you have it – the four biggest reasons why PC gaming is better that console gaming. Sure, console gaming has a lot going for it as well (I own many, myself), making it as successful as it is, but ignore all this rubbish about PCs crashing all the time. Particularly with the advent of Windows XP, PCs crashing is now as common as consoles crashing. So, I ask you, console gamer, hang up that over-used joypad, boot up that beige box sitting on the old dining room table, and experience a whole new side to gaming.
NOTE: Microsoft did not offer me a large wad of cash, or even an X-Box, to write this post. I wrote it because I’m trying to tell all you console gamers what you’ve been missing out on all these years.
I thank you for reading, if you bothered.
Uncle Albert
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I have both a PS2 and a PC, and although I have some decent games for my console, most of my time is spent on the PC. This is because the PC is king in the markets such as well ploted games, well thought out gamplay and its stangle hold of online gaming. I'm not saying consoles don't shine through in all these areas, but they aren't made to expand on them. For example 'Agent Under Fire' on PS2 mainly comprises of alot of shooting levels either in or out of cars in some cases, with the occasional stealth bit thrown in. The story is told via cut-scenes, But it does'nt really tell it well enough for you to get absorbed. While 'Half-Life' on the PC was made with massive levels filled mainly with challanging puzzles, had some neat ways of killing the big nasty bosses you meet along the way, and had a unorigonal but well told story played out infront of you. Both systems are good at what they do best, the PS2 is good in driving sims and survival horrors, while the PC is master at stratagy and FPS games, But I will ultimately chose the PC over any console anytime.
Once Ive bought a GameCube I think Im gonna get Half Life for the PC as its only a tenner
I agree with you Albert, I like the N64 controller for FPS but Im not sure that the GC will be as good. I dont like the PS's comntroller for FPS though.
AfroJoe wrote:
> That wasn't very nice Cooky.
Albert and Cooky always insult each other
> That wasn't very nice Cooky.
Albert and Cooky always insult each other
Nice post, mate.
I totally agree with what you've written. Especially Joystick gaming and Keyboard/mouse gaming. I remeber playing a PC game (An FPS to be exact) with a Joystick, and the whole thing felt, well, messy. Then when i tried the mouse and keyboard, the game sprung to life, which shows, controls can change a game in an instant.
Again, nice post, mate.
I totally agree with what you've written. Especially Joystick gaming and Keyboard/mouse gaming. I remeber playing a PC game (An FPS to be exact) with a Joystick, and the whole thing felt, well, messy. Then when i tried the mouse and keyboard, the game sprung to life, which shows, controls can change a game in an instant.
Again, nice post, mate.
That wasn't very nice Cooky.
Great post Albert!
Well it might have been!
May the truth be told, I couldn't really be bothered to read it! :p
A big load of text with you waffeling on about how PC gaming is better than console gaming no doubt! LOL
Perhaps I'll be bothered to read it later! (need to restart me comp now)
Anyways, console gaming is FAAAAAARRRRRRRR better than scabby PC gaming!
:p
Well it might have been!
May the truth be told, I couldn't really be bothered to read it! :p
A big load of text with you waffeling on about how PC gaming is better than console gaming no doubt! LOL
Perhaps I'll be bothered to read it later! (need to restart me comp now)
Anyways, console gaming is FAAAAAARRRRRRRR better than scabby PC gaming!
:p
Thanks for the input guys, I thought it'd get buried under the WLT etc.
Keyboard/mouse is the ideal control setup for FPS games. The N64 pad did a comendable job with Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, etfc, but the PS2 pad just doesn't work for me. With games like Agent Under Fire I often find myself looking down at the pad, which just shouldn't happen. Give it time, Joe, and I'm sure you'll get to like it!
Keyboard/mouse is the ideal control setup for FPS games. The N64 pad did a comendable job with Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, etfc, but the PS2 pad just doesn't work for me. With games like Agent Under Fire I often find myself looking down at the pad, which just shouldn't happen. Give it time, Joe, and I'm sure you'll get to like it!
Apparently the keyboard and mouse system works very well for FPS's on the PC. You use the mouse to look around and explore the surroundings, and somehow move around and stuff with just one hand on the PC. Good post too Albert.
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