PC Games vs Console Games – Which do people prefer?

First things first, I am perfectly aware of the fact that not everyone is a hardcore PC gamer. Consoles have been out there for literally a lifetime, they have accompanied us for so many years especially when technology wasn’t as advanced as it is today.

Considering how graphics, engines and gameplays have improved over the past decade, our gaming experience has drastically changed and reached levels we were not even expecting.

I’d like to express my own idea and opinion about the matter, however I will start writing down the answers I got from other fellow PC gamers when I asked to explain what convinced them to play mostly with their machine instead of using a standard console.

My dear friend Dana said the following:

“I love both (PC and console) equally and they both have their drawbacks and strengths. I think I prefer PC games because it’s what I grew up with and it’s what I’m used to. There are games on PC that you can’t find on consoles. You can also do a lot of modding and customizing which you can’t really do on a Playstation or Xbox.”

And these are the answers I received from some very nice people in a closed Facebook group:

“Basically for graphics, because they are better on PC. Mods, because you can’t have them on consoles. Also for Steam, since you can have a large library of games which literally occupies no space (no discs on a shelf), there’s no risk to see them ruined and unusable because of scratches and you cannot lose them either. Prices; Steam games are way cheaper than Xbox/Playstation ones and consoles are quite expensive too. If you upgrade your PC pieces every now and then you don’t have to spend as much as you would buying the next generation consoles.”

“The fact that you can upgrade your PC as you wish is really a big plus for me (or build your computer from scratch, change a broken piece by yourself, etc). Then there are the mods, the graphics, the fact you can use emulators to play older games (or games made for another system) without worrying for backward compatibility.”

“I have a few reasons to play on my PC:
Mods/Fan content; I definitely like adding stuff to my game for free, so mods and add-ons made by fans are very important to me.
Price/Easy to get; I don’t like to go out much, so having places like Steam, Origins and other platforms where you can simply use your credit card to get a game suits me well. Plus there are tons of sales, if you’re patient/know where to look you can get a game for an incredibly cheap price quite easily.
Space; I have a small room, which is already flooded with papers and pieces of clothes. If I were to add things related to my gaming habits I may as well find a new place to sleep. Most of my computer games are not on a disk or anything that would take more space, so that’s one big advantage. I also don’t have to install a gaming console or a new TV with tons of cables I’d have to connect.
Easy to use; I like to use a keyboard and mouse for games most of the time, so that works well for me. However if I wanted to use a joystick/gamepad I could still plug it in easily. The Xbox controllers are made to work on a PC, but I also know that you can find programs to make PS3 joysticks work as well, so I can play with whatever I prefer. Also much easier than using a Wiimote and definitely less tiring.

“Graphics for sure. And I can purchase a lot of different old school games! I also enjoy that no one is going to come up and try to kick me off to watch a TV show, like when I play on my Xbox. I can stay in front of my computer as much as I like.”

In short, PC games are nowadays appreciated for these reasons:

• Graphics
• Mods
• Digital libraries (no discs)
• Cheaper games/good sales through Steam and Origin
• Less money for future upgrades

I personally agree with all the things listed above. Graphics on consoles are often sacrificed a bit in order to make a smoother gameplay, textures are less detailed and the character’s features might appear more low poly than they originally are (although it got better with the latest platforms).
Plus, just like everybody said, consoles do not support additional fanmade content such as mods and graphical variations. While I believe that a good game is not made entirely of graphics, if you can get a higher quality on your computer it will surely be an excellent addition.

I have to admit, though, that I am quite biased because my luck with consoles is equal to zero; my old PS1 lasted two years even if I didn’t use it as much as I would now, my PS3 broke the next year and I had to wait three months for a good replacement due to some complications with the support. I’m not saying that PC components are 100% safe and everlasting, but I never had a similar issue with any hardware so far.

To conclude, another thing that I consider useful (but not necessary) in PC gaming is the possibility of connecting two or more screens to your machine. You do not need to Alt+Tab whenever you want to check your e-mails and you could eventually expand the game for a more immersive experience.

What about you? Do you prefer PC as well or are you mainly a console user? Feel free to let me know in the comments below!