Benefits Of PC Compared To Current Generation Consoles

Consoles used to have one job: they allowed the user to play video games. While this is still true today, every new console is becoming more and more of a Pandora’s box. They may look good, but are full of disappointment and regret. There are two major arguments that make personal computers a better investment, the performance and cost difference.

Performance

Gaming performance is determined by the physical hardware of the device and the amount of optimisation developers put in a game. Performance can be broken down into three major groups:

• Frames per second (FPS): This is how many times per second the device is able to output an image and determines how choppy or smooth a game runs. Most movies run at either 24 or 30 FPS mainly because there is no interactment. Games on the other hand require intense interactment that benefit heavily from smooth playback. This is because gamers physically see more images and have more time to react to changes. 30FPS is considered the minimum playable framerate experience, 45FPS becomes enjoyable, and 60FPS is the minimum for being considered “smooth”.
• Quality: The only time someone says “Games are about gameplay, not for good graphics” is when they have not experienced good looking games. Texture quality can make a large difference in the realism in the game, make it easier to see, and even add small details that might have been left out.
• Resolution: This describes the amount of individual pixels on a screen. The widely used “HD 1080p” resolution defines that a display has 1920 pixels across and 1080 pixels high. Larger resolutions are becoming more popular, like “4k” panels which have four times that amount of pixels as 1080p. The reason why resolution is so important for gaming is that the larger the resolution on the same size screen creates a higher “DPI”, or pixels per inch. The higher the DPI, the sharper the game will look. Also, more game elements can be incorporated at a higher resolution.

So why does a gaming PC prevail over consoles with these performance topics in mind? Well, consoles unfortunately use outdated hardware to save on production cost, as well as focus more on acting like a computer than providing an enjoyable experience. On the other hand, computers can be built to play specific games, and parts can be selected to the specific needs of the user. Unlike consoles, “low end” hardware can still deliver playable performance and can be upgraded at any time if needed. Things like FPS, quality, and resolution can be decided and are not limited. On consoles, developers decide how a game is going to run and look because it would be easier to optimise a game for a single device. Most console games run at 30 FPS, delivering a playable but unsatisfactory choppy experience. For games that run higher than 30FPS, quality needs to be sacrificed. Some console games even need to run at a lower resolution than the monitor or TV they run on, which creates a fuzzy and blurry effect. One of the main problems that causes low performance is the constant use of intentionally selling a cheap product, then selling a new “upgraded” device in the next year.

Cost

There is no point of comparing computers to consoles, they cost a lot more, right? Prebuilt brands like Dell Alienware products have been setting a bad example with overpriced and underpowered computers. People look at those products and think that every gaming computer has to be very expensive. That is actually the complete opposite, complete gaming computers can be built for the same price or lower than consoles AND deliver better performance and gameplay. This is achieved by many different component brands on the market in competition, which continuously lowers prices. Also, new product lines are released often and allow older parts to go on sale. Consoles on the other hand have very little competition are are often biased to previous system ownership.

Hardware is not the only cost difference, most games actually cost less on computers. Since developers have more flexibility in developing and releasing games, better and cheaper games can be created. Major game clients such as Valve’s Steam, EA’s Origin, and Ubisoft’s Uplay are digital marketplaces that not only sell games, but incorporate a community based ecosystem. Steam is known for the major Winter and Summer sales, as well as holiday and random sales. During this time, games go on sale for as much as 95% off of the retail price. Equivalent games that can be purchased on both PC and console systems go on sale more often on PCs, and even perform better.

Oh, and was it mentioned that multiplayer is free? Unlike consoles, gamers do not have to pay a fee to access locked gameplay elements. There are even free to play games (F2P) that can be very enjoyable and require no money to be spent. With games such as Planetside 2, Dota 2, Team Fortress 2, War Thunder, Robocraft, Warface, and even Battlefield 3 offered for no money, gamers can put more money into their computer for a better experience or save the money and use it for other necessary items such as chips and soda.

Conclusion

Console gaming is not bad. In fact, gaming competition in general is very good to have. Modern consoles have great features like Facebook apps, Twitter apps, Youtube apps, Netflix, calculators, and can even play music. This makes them a compelling offer for someone who does not have access to a computer and still wants to have a computer-like experience. But for the majority of gamers who want to not only have fun, but have fun while enjoying gaming should understand that computer gaming is not close to dying with a rapidly growing mature player base, does not cost a ridiculous amount of money, allows long term gaming, and after a little experience is easier to use compared to consoles.

And after gaming, computers can also be used as a computer.

——————————————————————————————————–

Make sure to check out Part 2: Selecting PC parts on a budget.