The Endless Debate

Every time a small piece of information regarding technical specifications of a future multi platform title surfaces, fan boys spring out of the wood work for a chance to analyse this new data and find new ways to bash, rage, praise, hate, love their platform of choice and or its direct competitor depending on the sentiment.

Let's take a look at the biggest highs and lows of each platform and the general misconceptions surrounding them.

THE MONEY

Console Fans: PC's are too expensive and need constant and costly upgrades to maintain the high level of quality their users demand. There's no way in hell you can make or buy a gaming PC that gives you the same performance at the same price.

PC Fans: PC Components prices have significantly dropped the past years and now you can build a more powerful gaming rig for just a little more than the asking price of a new console. Also games cost less so that helps lower the annual overall cost of gaming on a PC.

Reality: Once gaming PC's were very expensive to build, luckily now that's no longer the case and you can indeed build a gaming rig that can rival and even surpass the latest consoles for as little as 550, 600 €/$. What PC fans fail to realize is that not everybody wants nor knows how to build a PC, and the ones you find in stores cost way too much for what they actually deliver. And before you start saying that it's easy, let me remind you that not all people share your passion for technology and there's nothing wrong with that. Being a gamer doesn't mean you have to be a tech-geek also.

That being said, most PC gamers don't have 2000+€/$ machines and most buy a serious upgrade for their rig once every 3/4 years depending on their budget and their needs and wants. That leaves plenty of time to save money on games and can eventually have a lower cost to the console equivalent.

In conclusion, money is no longer an argument to be used against PC Gaming. The lack of knowledge and or interest still is and it's well justified. Also consider that unless you're reading this on your TV screen of cellphone/tablet you already have a PC/MAC in your household that you probably spend a good amount of money on. This tips the balance heavily in PC's favour when it comes to overall and initial cost.

EYE CANDY AND HORSEPOWER

Console Fans: Graphics are not important, there's hardly a difference betewen 900p and 1080p and 30fps will do just fine. Games should prioritise gameplay. Also future games will look and play better on the new consoles as time goes by, just look at examples from the past generation.

PC Fans: The new consoles are seriously underpowered when it comes to hardware, a three year old PC runs games better so imagine a current mid-range one. The PC has better graphics hands down and 1080p 60fps should be the standard now. Consoles are holding PC games back.

Reality: A game is rarely defined by it's graphics that's true, artistic style and direction, atmosphere, a good story and most important excellent gameplay all weigh more when measuring a titles quality. However good graphics do matter. We don't like to admit it fearing being branded as shallow but it's true.

I find it funny how PS4 fans never hesitate to bring up how much more power their console of choice has when comparing it to the Xbox One or the Wii U only to hear them suddenly strip hardware power (resolution, fps) of all significance when comparing the same game on both PS4 and PC.

As for the whole "games will get better with age, just look at the last generation" routine, you must understand that this generation is very different than the one it replaces. First of all, when the PS3 and 360 came out back in 2006 they had the equivalent power of a mid-high gaming PC of the time at half the cost. They fielded intricate hardware (especially the PS3) that was new for most developers and brought with them many innovating technologies. The Wii brought motion control, the PS3 BluRay technology, later Microsoft unleashed Kinect unto the world. As developers learned more about the machines it's obvious that the games also got better. By 2009 1080p was becoming the norm on the PC scene consoles had no such requirement but even so some titles managed to pull it off non the less. After all of the developing secrets and tricks became well known developers still managed to enhance their games buy improving upon the only thing they still could, textures. Games became larger, needing multiple disks or a larger install size and better looking. Try playing Skyrim with just the HD textures patch, it make a substantial difference and you will see get my point.

That's not the case today with the current console line-up. Both the PS4 and the Xbox One, are basically heavily modified PCs. The Wii U from this point of view is basically a last-gen.5 console. What this means is that although games will improve somewhat with time it will not mirror the same huge difference as lunch and end cycle games of the previous models.

The unfortunate truth is that the current generation of consoles is composed of obsolete technology from a tech-geek's perspective. But consoles were never meant to be power houses, at least not when comparing them to gaming PCs, and there's nothing wrong with that. As for the whole "Consoles are holding back PCs" non-sense let me just say THANK GOD I remember a time when GPU manufacturers sponsored developers and making them bring out the most visual incredible games at the time that your PC couldn't play just so you had to upgrade your video card.

Bottom line, if graphic fidelity and the number of frames are a must for you than yes PC can supply that in loads but at a cost. As for consoles, it is my firm belief that this will be the shortest generation of consoles yet. While looking to minimize cost and make consoles available to a wider market both Sony and Microsoft sacrificed hardware potency. A gamble that at 15 million units sold seam to have paid off, at least until now.

EXCLUSIVELY EXCLUDED GAMES

Console Fans: Consoles have get the best version of games and have much more AAA exclusives available than PC.

PC Fans: We have our own exclusives, they may not all be AAA games but they're fun to play. Almost all games that matter end up on the PC anyway eventually and those who don't well, who cares.

Reality: This one is a easy. If you want to play Uncharted, buy a PS, same goes for Halo and Super Mario. In contrast, if you fancy commanding Roman legions in Rome Total War you will require a mouse and keyboard compatible machine. Exclusives are an annoying necessity. They exist purely to promote the system they are made for. Not all though. Some exclusives rely heavily on a specific characteristic of the platform is designed for (RTS need mouse support, Kinect/PS Move Games) while others are made by studios directly affiliated or owned by the console manufacturer themselves. PC doesn't have giants like Sony Microsoft or Nintendo watching its back, it's an open source environment a digital wild west if you will that most developers however brave willingly. Steam with its Steam OS and Steam Machine means to change that, if they fail of succeed it remains to be seen, until then the kingdom of PC has no allegiance.

I wish the word exclusive would disappear from a gamers dictionary, so all can enjoy some of the best titles the industry has to offer. The fact that exclusives exist favours only the companies they're made for and not the gamers, make no mistake, and for this reason alone I'm convinced their not going anywhere. Consoles are also the biggest revenue generators of the industry so it's obvious that developer and publishers have a tendency to favour them with exclusive content, early launch dates, etc.

When it comes to who has the biggest gaming library however PC wins hands down for one big and important reason. Backwards compatibility. We're more than a year into the current generation's cycle and there's not much to play on either the PS4 or the X1. It will change starting this holiday season sure but even so it will never match the amount of games available to the PC crowd. Sony is willing to let you play some of their past titles in exchange for what are reported to be important sums of money via the Playstation Now service. It's a work in progress however with the pricing models needing some serious consideration if the service is to succeed. Microsoft has not announced anything with regards to this subject, while Nintendo Wii games can be played on the WII U at least most of them. Even so, backwards compatibility is in my opinion very important and also one of the biggest advantages of the PC.

EASE OF USE

Console Fans: PC's are a hassle to maintain and to play on. Drivers, patches, compatibility issues, installs, minimum system requirements all are a big deterrent for most people. On consoles you buy a game, go home, insert the disc and play, simple as that. Why complicate things? Plus I like slouching on the couch and play on my 50" HDTV by myself or with friends, instead of hunching over a desk.

PC Fans: Operation systems have come a long way since those days. Now most if not all of the drivers are installed automatically via specialized software of by the OS itself. Both the PS4 and X1 have mandatory installs now so that's no longer an differential issue. PC has the advantage of digital distribution not relying on fragile optical media formats. PCs can be attached to TV just as well as consoles and can be played with numerous types of controllers.

Reality: While it is true that PC's came a long way from the complicated maintenance off days gone by it's still not even close as being as streamlined and easy as consoles. You still need to know some basic things to be able to coop with unexpected problems that, make no mistake, will occur.

System requirements are no longer as relevant as they were in the past. If you have a dedicated video card in your PC, or a dedicated graphics chip in your laptop chances are you will be able to play most games at their lowest settings at least. Obviously this isn't the case with old models.

Many PC gamers have their rig hooked up to the big screen TV in the living room and play there most of the time. Steam's in house streaming also makes this even more hassle free now than ever before. Also Steam Machines are coming to challenge the console's living room dominance soon. Long are the days were hunching over your desk was the only thing available for a PC gamer. Those that still do so, do it because they chose to do so.

Digital distribution is the future there's no denying that. It makes for 90% of PC games sales and continues to rise. Consoles still rely on physical copies while offering the possibility of digital downloads. Some people still prefer having the physical copy of the game however and enjoy having a extensive hard copy collection to gaze upon. And again, there's nothing wrong with that.

When it comes to family friendly and social interaction however, consoles win. Nintendo proved this with the Wii and it's success was mirrored by Microsoft with the Kinect and to some extent by Sony with it's PS Move. Very few PC games give you the possibility of local co-op and for many this is very important. Enjoying a game and a beer with a friend destroying him at Fifa while making jokes about his lack of skills never gets old. Sure you can do that on PC also but consoles do it better and give you much more titles that allow you to do so.

SHIVER MY TIMBERS!

Console Fans: Almost all PC gamers are filthy pirates. Their lack of consideration hurts the gaming industry.

PC Fans: The majority of PC gamers buy their games. Steam, Origin, GOG sales make it so that piracy is no longer needed nor approved in anyway.

The Reality: Piracy still plagues the PC gaming world even with the low prices of PC games available today. However consoles have their share also especially the last generation and most likely the current one. The PC does pay a heavy price because of it. Bad ports, DRM, missing out on some games etc.

However IF you are someone that buys every form of digital content (music, film, software etc) in a legitimate manner I congratulate you on you honesty. If you aren't, then, please spare us your hypocrisy in regards to video game piracy. Thank you.

So there you have it 5 of the most important arguments in all this PC vs Console useless debate. Some will argue that there's still others to consider like VR, mods, unique peripherals and others but the truth is those are highly subjective to consider. Not all PC players like mods like not all console players like strange control methods.

What's really important is to realize that all this non sense favours only one party and that's the big publishers. This kind of stupid arguments guarantee them with free publicity and free damage control without giving anything on return. Loyalty is a good quality to have but also a valuable one, not to be wasted on greedy corporations that couldn't care less were your loyalties lie as long as you keep buying their recycled, unfinished, unpolished, unoriginal and sometimes damn right insulting products.

We are all gamers, PS, Xbox, PC, Nintendo fans, we are consumers/gamers first and fans second. You don't have to justify your preference to anyone just as nobody is entitled to ask you for a justification. And you if you do decide to put your trust in one, do so with a open mind and a critical eye. Remember you don't owe them nothing but they owe you everything.