Given that I’m not Tom, nor played RDR2, neither of things change my statement. I’m speaking of my own experiences.
I’m a macOS diehard. Need I say more? I do most of my gaming on my Switch or PS4. Except for Magic the Gathering: Arena. I’m willing to boot camp for that.
It is true I spent a couple of hours getting RDR2 to work, but that’s probably the first issue I’ve had with game installation in a year possibly two.
The last console I bought was the Wii so I’m certainly not a good judge, but to me PC gaming is just better. Maybe if had kids and wanted to play with them in the living room, I’d buy new console.
I toyed with buying a PS4 for RDR2, but I have a such a backlog of games that if never came out the PC I"d live. There is just a ton of strategy game that are only available on the PC, and Steam is an awfully nice platform for games. Plus are their console game that are only $10 cause there sure a lot PC games in that price range.
For all the reasons that have been said above:. M+kB is a better control scheme for anything that requires aiming or has an inventory. Type of games I play ( personally I think consoles are only better for sports,driving, fighting. These are all genres I have stopped playing).
However, the main reason for me is that I cannot alt/tab to the wiki on console. Last game I tried on console was Zero Dawn and the first time I thought " I wonder what that crafting component is for" I was sad.
All that being said, I definitely have migrated to console games a bit more in recent history due to working from home and needing to get away from my desk.
I’m very pro PC for all the reasons already mentioned, just wanted to lend my voice to the crowd. I do have a PS4 and a Switch and will play exclusives I can’t get elsewhere on those systems, but if given the choice for most things I’ll usually go PC. Sometimes I go Switch over PC for something I know will be cool on the go, but usually in that case I’ll just double-dip (such as Slay the Spire).
I also like to game while I watch TV on a streaming service, which works best on a dual-display PC setup.
Once I am interested in a game then i choose the platform based on my preferred play experience. So if I want to play PES or FIFA then I know I like a beer and play on the couch. Likewise with a consim I will want it on my laptop so i can nerd out in bed. Similarly for a flight sim I want it on my desktop etc.
So its game first then I choose the platform.
Holy cow, lots of reaponses! Looking forward to reading them all. Some things I never thought of here.
Besides a few exclusives, PC does everything a console can do, plus more.
- HDMI or Steam Link to TV
- Controller or keyboard and mouse
Plus everything else - mods, sales, productivity use, etc. And those consoles exclusives often make it to PC eventually.
After experimenting with ways to hide them when I wasn’t watching, I realized I just don’t like TVs. Don’t like the big black screen taking up space, don’t like planning a room around it, and I don’t like how distracting it can be for other people.
I’ve also been fortunate enough to write off some fairly substantial laptops as business expenses, so I just gamed with those. Recently I went back to using a standing desk and, for the first time in years, set up a gaming space with a couch.
Beyond that, I prioritize modding over visuals. The only time consoles win for me is playing split screen with a group, my preferred method for multiplayer.
I’ve always been confused about why anyone would game on a modern Console when they have a PC available.
I just assumed those people didn’t own Windows PCs…
For me , the type of fighting games I like having strong PC ports now (3d fighters, Soul Calibur and Tekken PC versions are far superior to console both in features and quality of competition- quantity still goes to console) was what moved me to no longer want consoles.
It’s entirely game-dependent for me.
If it requires precise aiming, or fiddly RTS style controls - PC
If the game would look great with HDR - console
If it’s a racing or third person action game - usually console
If it’s likely to be better with mods - PC
If it’s on Switch and I don’t already own it - Switch
Steam Link has made this question obsolete (to me). If I feel like playing on my couch, I do, if I feel like playing on my PC, I do.
City builders and strategy games I tend to prefer on my PC, but almost all other games are fine on the Steam Link.
It can take a bit to have muscle memory on both platforms for a given game, but that happens too. Actually interesting is if I play game pad on PC and Steam controller on Steam Link - that can take a few minutes for my brain to adapt.
I almost feel like the different PC platforms count as different options to me.
Switch - zero interest. Ridiculous rip-off pricing.
PS4/XB - little interest. Steam Link is still better, it has the same games, lower price, no subscriptions.
Stadia - little interest, Steam Link is better.
Apple Arcade - high interest - seems to offer something new. Also I have younger kids that may become interested.
Steam - best, preferred, default.
Epic - I’d rank it below consoles, but free / subsidized games are nice.
Oculus - great for VR, only for VR
Uplay - necessary evil
Battlenet - necessary evil
So basically being a PC gamer and playing the latest releases is an arms race. Take RDR2 as an example. I can spend ~$350 on the console and $60 on the game. If I did that just to play RDR2, that’s my investment. If I buy a few more games (and Xbox games go on sale all the time), now I’m committed to that system. But I never have to upgrade.
If I get a PC, the GPU I need to run RDR2 would alone cost over $350. Then the game is $60 (or maybe a bit less if you get some non Steam deal). A PC that can run RDR2 might cost me $1000 or more. In a few years I will probably need to upgrade that card to play the latest games.
That’s the cost piece I don’t like. I think KB+M controls are also very 1980s. I remember playing King’s Quest on an IBM PC Jr. with a keyboard and mouse (I think). 30 years later and the input method hasn’t improved at all. At all! You are still using a spreadsheet machine to play games. I get attaching a controller to your PC, but in my experience this doesn’t always work so well because the game is not usually BUILT around the controller, it’s an add on. The design is influenced by the 1980s control scheme. Which is how you get terrible UI like “push the J button to do this” and “Control-Key to do this”. I need to pretty much see my keyboard and look at it all the time to play games. With a controller it’s all built in, and when designing a game it’s built to suit the controller, with subtle force feedback and vibration, and analog stick control, and a concentrated and easy to use UI (usually).
I think indie game makers have cornered the PC market, I give them that and Xbox, while it does have a crapton of indie game mixed in the the AAA (I appreciate that, actually), is no where near the kickstarter/Steam model PC has. I can’t play Steel Division on XBox.
But overall I think console gaming is cheaper, more evolved, and better for the gaming experience. Though I don’t like this huge install and day one patch trend that’s crept into consoles.
Also, you guys really prefer KB+M for FPS games? I can’t stand that anymore. The mouse aiming is fine, but using the keyboard to move around? Painful. A controller is soooooo much better and more ergonomic to me. Ergonomics matters a lot in an input device.
This seems like a bizarre statement to me. Plenty of PC games are built around the controller, not least all the games that also come out on console.
Yes you will have to upgrade.I have an xbox 360, I want to play Red Dead Redemption 2. Guess what, I can’t. I will need to upgrade. In order to play RDR2 in a state even close to what it will look like on a PC I will need to buy an Xbox X for $400-$500.
But that will last you the entire life cycle of the console if you buy early. XBox one came out 6 years ago. How much does a new video card cost? About the same as the XBox.