A common debate between gamers is console vs PC. While each has its pros and cons, the argument is useless. Courtesy of Evan-Amos
By Salvador Castillo
Conflicts can immediately sour up communication between a group of friends, and there is one dreaded conversation that most steer away from: Which gaming platform is the best, console or PC?
While many would try and pick a side, true gamers recognize that the correct answer is simple: both of them.
Many people pick the one they use most as the best, but that’s unfair to the other platform. For one, both platforms have a great selection of games, though we have to focus on the exclusives for both.
Console exclusives tend to outsell their competitors, but PC exclusives often rival console exclusives in quality. Both sides of the exclusive selection have given us classics: PC has given us Half-Life, Portal, Counter-Strike, and Team Fortress, while consoles have given us Uncharted, The Last Of Us, Bloodborne, Halo, and Quantum Break.
I’m a fan of all of these games, seeing how I’ve played all of them to completion at one point or another. Personal favorites from each platform would have to be Bloodborne, The Last Of Us, and the new God of War for console, and Portal, Civilization, and Baldur’s Gate for PC.
Each platform does have its pros and cons. PC’s can handle an exceptional level of graphic detail, allowing for you to fully immerse yourself in the game’s world. The games can also run at an incredible pace, allowing for smooth gameplay and near life-like cinematics and character models.
However, the main downside to PC is the cost. A PC with a decent graphics card ranges between $600 and $900, with some costing $1,200 and above. The price skyrockets if you opt to get your PC as a “pre-built” set, with some sets averaging around $2,000.
On the other hand, consoles are considerably cheaper, with the low-end price of a good PC able to cover the purchase of a console, an extra controller, and a stack of about 10 games or so.
Consoles are also easier to set up and operate than PC’s. They only require you to insert the game disc (or download it, your choice), then you pick up the controllers and play to your heart’s content. Also, when something goes wrong with a console, it’s usually software errors, which are pretty simple to fix.
PC’s are more complicated to learn how to use. The increased amount of components causes crashes to happen more often. However, it’s more practical to fix a PC error. All you need to do is pop it open, replace the screwy part, and you’re good to go.
Consoles tend to have their components assembled and put into layers, which you have to take apart very carefully so as not to damage the components. PC’s have specific areas where you place the components, making it more modular and practical.
Each device has its own strong and weak points. Even if you prefer one over the other, you can’t deny the pros of the other side. This makes you seem more ignorant than anything else, since you’re only focusing on the pros of your choice of platform and pointing out the cons of the other platform.
Also, the whole idea of fighting over which platform is best seems like quite a childish affair. Make the adult decision and enjoy both.
You can play some first-person shooters like Counter-Strike or Call of Duty on PC, since the increased graphics handling can allow you to play at a faster pace, and if you grow tired with that, you can just switch over to console, where you can enjoy some decent-looking graphics balanced with easy-to-understand gameplay, like in Uncharted or God of War.
Each platform was made to suit a different gaming agenda, so it’s not fair to pit the two against each other.
