Time to respond to some comments I am hearing...I disagree totally that consoles are superior for gaming.
FPS games on a PC are far superior, the keyboard+mouse is much better control than a gamepad can ever be. Developers on games like Shadowrun and Halo have freely admitted that the reason there is no cross platform play with PC/console is that the PC would dominate.
Next, PCs have RTS games that don't really exist on the console, things like Starcraft 2, Sins of the Solar Empire, C&C, and the soon to come Spore...
Hardware upgrade is a drag, but only if you really want to stay cutting edge. You can still run newer games on older hardware, but just not at the most pimped out settings. Consoles are frozen in time, PCs can evolve...
Tech wise, I think a PC is superior in every way, it just does indeed cost more.
Xbox has a big downside to me as well that new releases cost 59 Euro each here, that is 100$ Canadian PER GAME! I would be only bargain bin shopping as far as that goes.
PC is also multi purpose, I can do all my photoshopping, video stuff, and music stuff.
I am not saying the Xbox is bad, just that I think a PC may more suit my needs right now. The main appeal of an Xbox to me is the community of online play, which would be limited by my location, and the possibility to use it as a media hub. But then I would probably need to add some PC hardware to my network to make sure the hub media is all there and streaming to the Xbox anyway.
Then there is the matter of the Xbox hardware. All accounts are that it is still not very good. 30-40% hardware failure rate, even if covered by warranty is not cool. The 6-pound power brick that heats a small building, the airplane-prop sounding drive... not indicators of optimal hardware.
At the moment, I am leaning towards a mid-level PC, something with socket 775 on the processor so I still have a future upgrade path if I want, but affordable in my small budget now. I would ultimately like to add an Xbox to the mix one day, but I still think that Microsoft will be improving the hardware as time goes by. 45nm processors, a reduced size integrated power supply, and improved cooling would all be on my wish list there.
One other factor about the Xbox experience is that I do NOT have a giant flat screen TV, nor will I be getting one in the next long while. I also don't have any sort of sound system in the living room.
We live with a nice 32 inch CRT TV and use the built in speakers. It is big enough for our needs and we don't have the 1200 Euro or so that a comparable LCD would cost.
Keep in mind, my current PC is a Pentium III.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
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3 comments:
In all fairness to G.S. I do agree that it can be a bit more comfortable sitting on your couch to play video games then at your computer. And a 32 inch tv is a good size for gaming.
You should also look to see what kind of games you like to play. If they're all available for the PC, then go for the PC.
Fraser, it sounds to me like you've already made up your mind so that's good.
It really comes down to the games you'll play and how you want to spend your money.
However, I'm sorry but you are quite wrong when it comes to mouse/keyboard vs controller. Show me a quote from somebody at Bungie or Fasa that says that. Shadowrun IS in fact the first cross platform game that allows for play of pc vs Xbox 360 via Xbox live!!
In all their testing, they've found the keyboard/mouse vs controller in capable hands to be equal.
As a guy who was there when we INVENTED keyboard/mouse FPS gaming, I can tell you that indeed, good gamepad control scheme like that in Halo for the Xbox series is great once you get used to it. And twin analog sticks for moving and aiming give you movement options you don't have by pressing WASD...
Some will tell you the mouse is more accurate for aiming or faster. But by setting your sensitivity high on the sticks, and being skilled with the sticks, you can equal or beat mouse look any day.
There is also the fact that you have so many buttons in such an easy to use ergonomic control scheme. It really does beat mouse/keyboard unless you have a special mouse and a dedicated keyboard...which then only makes it equal.
The only people I know who say mouse/keyboard is better are people who haven't tried or just haven't gotten good at the sticks. Many people who play Shadowrun and Halo for Windows Vista use the Xbox 360 controller!! :)
The games we're playing now also aren't built for speed, but for tactics, stealth and accuracy. Rainbow Six series, Call of Duty 4, Frontlines, Battlefield etc. All superior on the console for many reasons.
Spore is coming out on consoles, so is the next C&C. Starcraft II is rumoured to as well but Blizzard hasn't confirmed. We've had some really good RTS lately. We even have Catan and Carcasonne for you board gamers.
Then we also have Guitar Hero, Rock Band for music, and some of the best RPG's (Bioshock, Oblivion, Mass Effect, the KOTOR series).
Tons of great exclusives that you can't get on pc.
As for failure rate, ya, the initial year was bad. I went through 4 systems. However I'm on system 5 for 2 years now and we have a second one in the house for Bonnie. So far so good. If it fails and I have to return, no biggie.
As for Live community, you don't have to play with us in North America. There will be lots of people in your own time zone on to play... From UK to Germany etc.
As a (former) hard core, competitive, LAN party going FPS PC gamer, I've put a lot of thought into this. The PC is dead to me for gaming. It's lame compared to consoles.
In fact, Windows is dead to me, Vista is a dog. My next PC will be a Mac. No need to play games on it anymore as they still aren't great for it...but much more need for music, photo, video and 'net stuff which Mac OS X is doing better than Windows with the built in iLife apps. But that's a whole other convo :)
If Xbox 360 games are 59 euros, how much are PC games?? PC games are often C$10 less here. But you can get older games for the console cheaper, and used games even cheaper than that. The used game market for console is quite good here... how is it there?
There's also rentals... you can't rent PC games, but you can rent console games. It's a great way to save money on a game that you only will play for a week or so.
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