Preference: Personal Computer or Consoles?

[Arkanna]

PC. I don't even own a current-gen console, which is funny because I grew up using consoles.

[Dantrag]

I'll leave this here as another reason why PCs are greater than Console from MechWarrior Online.

We are not bound by content delivery limitations of a console platform.

For now, getting new content delivered through a console is a costly and arduous process.

[Azull]

Really it depends.

For a first person shooter i really dont understand how you can play on console if you have a choice between it and PC (PC hardware willing)

Racing games i like to use Console.. either with wheel (sim/near-sim) or controller (arcade)

Other types of games it depends on what i feel like itll be best on. Skyrim is PC , Batman is Console.

[Sup3rB4d]

While the controller might be kind to you, do you ever wonder if its kindness is artificial because of the aim assistance the developer put into the game for you.

Everyone he is playing against has the same advantage so if he is significantly better than the average console player then I wouldn't think the reason is aim assist.

Also, games like COD and Halo don't actually have auto aim in the sense that you "lock on" to the target. Your cross hairs never actually move toward the target if you don't move them. Instead, they make your cross hairs stick to the person. Basically it mainly helps with tracking as opposed to actually helping you aim your sights onto the target.

[Minions]

I went with console, mainly because of the shitty drivers video card makers are putting out these days. The fact almost all games are being put out (and being built for) consoles pretty much not using the full potential of PC video cards. (That's not to say you can't make games look better on pcs). For FPS I prefer PC, but for any kind of rpg I like using a controller and sitting back and relaxing while I play. Rage was not bad on console.

[Callisto]

I have all the home consoles(no handhelds) and a reasonably decent gaming PC...I still prefer playing most my games on consoles, mainly because the people I want to play online with are also on consoles and I can't really expect them to go dump $1k+ on a gaming PC. I do really wish I would have had a high-end PC back when I actually played FFXI, though.

[Correction]

Console gaming by a long shot.
PC gaming falls into the category of "more complex but that doesn't equal to more fun".
Everything PC does when it comes to gaming, consoles do better.

Well at least it took 32 whole posts before the stupid creeped into this thread.

I used to prefer consoles over PC for game loading times alone. But now that my backlog keeps new games out of my consoles for months at a time and that's just enough time for XBL/PSN to require updates to play every new game (+mandatory installs on every game not called Uncharted) I plug in, that advantage has evaporated completely.

[TacoTaru]

Consoles for most everything. PC for MMOs, RTS/tower defense, and indies, though.

[Isiolia]

PC. In the overall scheme, it depends some on the genre. I'm more likely to buy, say, a fighting game for a console than for PC. Something like a 3rd person action game I could go either way on. Don't really care. WRPG, FPS, etc I have a strong PC preference for. About the only reason I'd play console versions of those genres would be lack of a PC version, though I'd be more likely to simply not play the game at all.

I have plenty of consoles, and plenty of games for them (even if I haven't reacquired everything from my youth). Historically speaking though, I'm just plain more likely to sit down and actually play something if it's on PC - or the console is hooked up in my computer room. In part, right now, that's due to my brother living with me. Even though it's my house and my gear, I've never been big on taking over the living room for single player gaming. Still, if I step back and look at it objectively, whatever I might collect, I tend to play PC games, so I have to give it the nod.

[Gredival]

I feel like the only advantage consoles have are more natural controls for certain games. Like I can't imagine playing certain action or fighting games without a controller vs. keyboard/mouse.

But that issue gets fixed with the use of gamepads. I have a powerful enough PC (and am willing to continue to upgrade or buy powerful PCs) such that I see no advantage in playing a game in console over PC if I am given the option.

Also my favorite genre/series tend to be PC exclusive or played better on PC, and I have far less interest in games that are console exclusive (and can't be emulated), so if I had to choose one it would be PC flat out.

[Greatguardian]

PC. Upgrading a half-decent machine to be able to play most games at a respectable level costs about as much as buying a console every few years (I gamed a lot on an ancient Athlon II machine for ages, only upgrading its video card every couple of years before I built my current PC). Heck, building a solid gaming PC from scratch costs about as much as buying multiple consoles and can do a hell of a lot more. For the most part, $1k-$2k systems are for future-proofing and having significantly more power than any game will ever need to use.

PCs can also be hooked up to TVs and can use any existing console controller, plus any of the myriad third party controllers out there (flightsticks, gamepads, etc). There are emulators for every console/handheld to date with the exception of PS3/360, and you can even use Wiimotes on your PC. Honestly, the only reason I'd buy a console these days is for 360/Ps3 exclusives, and even then I haven't felt that they were worth the console investment to me.

PCs can be played both at a desk and from a couch, on a monitor or on a TV, using a keyboard or a controller. PCs are always significantly more powerful than consoles, even without hitting "Gaming" PC specs, and you can do a whole lot more with them at the same time. Steam effectively replaces XBLA/PSN. Plus, the PC multiplayer community in general has a tendency to be more mature for some games. Mechwarrior is a great example of this.

Console developers have been trying to integrate internet access and functional OS' into their machines so that people can "Do everything in one spot". PCs have already been everything for years. They're cheaper to upgrade and maintain than consoles (especially if you buy more than one console), and they're just a hell of a lot more useful in general. What can you do on a console? Game. What can you do on a PC? Game, Work, Socialize, Everything.

[Raen Ryong]

I used to be a hardcore console guy. I never had a good PC until roughly 2006 and at that point, I was still very much stuck to my consoles.

However, I bought a PC that was pretty much top of the line for its time last year and it's just phenomenal. The flexibility it offers (Skype while playing games?! hell yeah) combined with the simple graphical and audio superiority is too much. I will admit that I am far inferior with mouse/keyboard to my controller at the moment, but I am steadily getting better and I acknowledge that it will be the superior system once I get used to it. I still attach PS3 controller for things such as Sonic Generations and such.

Basically, was console - now PC, not looking back. It's just so much more flexible even before considering superior performance and such.

[Crab_Cake]

I didn't mention this before but factoring emulators, PC wins definitely (for convenience).

Backing up saves is easier (no being afraid of memory card corruption due to a blackout or something. On the PC I backup those online regularly and easily!). (As for backing up saves on 7th gen consoles, tl;dr version is protected saves ftl. Though there is Playstation Plus)

Also if I need to look up something, I can instantly do it since it's already on my PC.

However for FFXIII (on the PS3), I have to turn my chair around to look at my PC (it's not that bad though).

This goes for any other game (emulator or not). For The Last Remnant I can just play the game on windowed mode (but have the window size big enough to cover the entire screen) so if I need to look up something I can easily.

If I could play everything on PC, I would (I'd totally replay FFXIII again AND farm turtles if it ever gets released on the PC. Though it's a different story for FFXII, I'm never starting that over again unless I cheat [I'm looking at you "The Great Crystal" dungeon and numerous hard to spawn rare monsters]).

Anyway (again) one thing I really want devs to stop doing for their console games is to stop protecting their saves and/or preventing you from backing up from it. FFXIII for example is semi-protected and prevents you from saving over a save that isn't locked to your console (apparently). PC games with achievements usually don't have lock saves (because it's impractical to lock saves on PC, therefore it stops devs from being silly and thinking achievements matter more than player's progress in a game).

(Fortunately some people [Like the GT5 devs] knows people don't like protected saves [GT5 devs removed protected saves through an update]).

Besides that, modding is definitely a huge plus. Bethesda (The Elder Scrolls developers) even said that the players have fixed/tweaked things far better than they could. For games from Valve and Blizzard, we all know how what happened (TF was originally a mod on Quake. CS was originally a mod on HL. NS is a mod too. DotA is also mod on WC3, etc). Hopefully SE follows route and releases <insert future FF title here> on PC with mod support.

[Tajin]

It's missing a depends on the game option. I'd NEVER play a fightan game on a PC (and fuck online gaming) mano a mano ftw everyday all day. Sports games or anything beer related, console ftw.
A MMO RPG or something like Sim City, PC ftw, or rather mouse ftw.

[Yuri-G]

tough choice. consoles are generally cheaper and vastly less problematic due to their dedicated nature and the relative conformity of components across a particular gaming system, i.e. the PS3 doesn't have a couple hundred different possible graphics cards and drivers - it has one.

on the other hand, PC can push things further, is more upgradeable, VASTLY more versatile (everything from pong to the Wii can be emulated - yes, consoles can emulate too but it's much more limited). basically PC is infinitely superior but pays the price in both complexity and stability.

all in all, I would say PC, but only because I finally have a decent rig - and I paid a lot more for that rig than I ever have for a console.

edit: oh yeah, forgot about modding. not just modding PC games - although that's awesome (hello Oblivion) - but even stuff like translated JP-only RPGs and the myriad of SNES hacks that are out there. infinite potential, man.

[Insanecyclone]

Both. Play things that would work better on PC and vice versa. And most shit doesn't get released(JRPGs) on PC anyways.

[warc]

It's missing a depends on the game option. I'd NEVER play a fightan game on a PC (and fuck online gaming) mano a mano ftw everyday all day. Sports games or anything beer related, console ftw.
A MMO RPG or something like Sim City, PC ftw, or rather mouse ftw.

What don't you like about PC fighting games that would limit you to consoles for versus mode? After playing with a keyboard for a bit, I definitely prefer keyboard over a console pad, and only losing to arcadesticks/hitboxes. Not to mention you can easily use a console pad on PC anyway.

[hey]

For the record, with cfw, oblivion (and some other games) mods work on the ps3, and you can backup protected saves as well.

edit: oh yeah, forgot about modding. not just modding PC games - although that's awesome (hello Oblivion) - but even stuff like translated JP-only RPGs and the myriad of SNES hacks that are out there. infinite potential, man.

Eh? All rom hacks can be run on the original console.

[Ohemgee]

PC for everything non-exclusive.

Jailbroken apple tv for netflix

[Yuri-G]

For the record, with cfw, oblivion (and some other games) mods work on the ps3, and you can backup protected saves as well.

Eh? All rom hacks can be run on the original console.

technically, yes. but have fun running a Super Mario World hack on your original Super Nintendo console *

*above statement does not apply if you are a Chinese pirate who owns his own cart-manufacturing machine.