PC Gaming vs. Console Gaming

Feb. 20th 2003

PC vs. Console

The Future of Online Gaming

As expected, 2002 was a record year for video game sales, with console hardware and software leading the way in growth. Between August and December Playstation 2, Xbox, and GameCube all introduced online capability. Some industry analysts have suggested that PC gaming has seen its day, and that consoles will dominate the video game landscape from this point forward. Of course, many of us can remember when the same kind of bold propositions were made about the Nintendo. In fact, PC gamers have so far watched a variety of over-hyped consoles come and go without making much more than a blip on the radar screen. If you can't afford both, here are some things to consider.

Console Advantages

The most obvious advantage consoles have over PCs is cost. The Xbox currently sells for around $200, often with a couple games in the bundle, while it's easy to spend that much or more on a quality PC video card alone.
Let's face it, PC gaming is a technical nightmare compared to console gaming. People can actually take a console home and be playing a game within minutes. No operating systems to configure or drivers to update, and better still, no purchasing a game only to find out that it isn't compatible with your PC for some obscure reason.
Multiplayer gaming is also made easy and affordable with companies like Microsoft offering online services for their product. The Xbox, for example, comes equipped with a network card, making it a simple matter to hook it up to a DSL or Cable Internet connection and get into a multiplayer game on Xbox Live.
Console games tend to have a relatively low learning curve. You might need fast thumbs, but you certainly won't need to spend hours in a "tutorial" trying to learn how to operate basic game functions.

Console Disadvantages

Although sealing everything into one unit keeps it simple, when one or two of the components inside the box becomes dated there's no way to solve the problem without replacing the entire console. And wouldn't it be sweet if you could snap another 256 MB of RAM into your PS2?
Consoles are getting more flexible as they come online. As far back as Sega's Dreamcast they were offering primitive browser software and optional keyboards, but they still perform only one task really well, and we all what that is.
Perhaps the most serious disadvantage at this stage is the lack of inter-connectivity between the different console brands. Many games are available for one type of console but not others, and when it comes to online play, each is restricted to its own network. This means that people with Xboxes can only play against other people with Xboxes, so, for example, there is no way for console gamers to jump into a fray on one of the countless Counter-Strike servers available.

PC Advantages

It can get messy, and it doesn't always go according to plan, but at least there is the possibility of extending your PC's gaming life with a component upgrade. In some sense, it may be that there should be even more components. For instance, haven't we all wished, at one time or another, that we could add a stick of memory to our video card? Of course, it's the desire for these kinds of alternatives that ultimately leads to such a broad variety of intricate components that they don't always work together, or support the software you want to run. Such is the contradictory nature of computer technology with which every PC gamer eventually becomes familiar.
Another clear advantage PCs have over consoles is that they can perform a wide variety of non-game related tasks. After all, you have to take a break sometime to read gaming sites.
Thanks to the Internet, computer systems are able connect even if they are made by different manufactures and are running different software. Your friends won't be restricted from playing with you just because you own a Dell and they bought a Compaq, for example. I believe that this is the main reason PC games currently dominate online gaming and probably will for some time to come.
PCs are always on the cutting edge of gaming technology. With 128-bit architecture and 64 MB RAM the Xbox was pretty dreamy when it first came out. However, that pales in comparison to what a mid-range computer offers today, with 64 MB and even 128 MB video cards becoming the norm, to say nothing of motherboards that will support a Gigabyte or more of memory. Even if a console offers incredible technology upon its release, there is no way for it to compete with the rapid hardware advancements that have become a way of life in the computer industry.

PC Disadvantages

While PCs have come down considerably in price over the years, they are still quite expensive compared to consoles. Perhaps worse, we seem to be at a point where manufacturers would rather make them more powerful than cheaper, whether we need the speed or not.
Computers are also getting a little more user friendly, but eventually every PC gamer will encounter some technical complication, be it a device driver that needs updating or components that are simply incompatible.
The truth is, installing a game on your computer is always a bit of a gamble. You never really know if it's going to work until you're actually playing the game, and even then, in the back of your mind, you're expecting it to crash at any moment.
Unlike most console games, PC games have the potential to get ridiculously complicated. This can give a game depth, but it can also result in tedious arrays of keyboard commands and lengthy tutorials which one must endure to learn how to play.

The Bottom Line

I think it will be a long time before the PC has any serious rivals when it comes to multiplayer online gaming. Until consoles begin to offer more flexible ways to get connected, and allow people using different platforms to participate in the same game, computers will continue to provide a better Internet gaming experience.

By Dave Spohn

www.internetgames.about.com