The war between the consoles and PCs. Is it about to end?

in gaming •  7 years ago  (edited)

The war between “console peasants” and the “PC Master Race” is often heated. But there have been many similar conflicts in the past “PC vs. PlayStation”, “Commodore vs Atari”, “Amiga vs PC” and any more. Maybe it will be different this time – because the new consoles are very close to PCs.

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The newest “eight and half” generation of consoles (Sony PlayStation 4 Pro and the Microsoft Xbox One X) is quite unusual. They are providing higher processing power yet they are supposed to be completely backwards comparable with their original models. So the new consoles are different models and some PCs can’t be upgraded – just look at Macs.

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Some people may see making consoles variants, each with different power, a coming together of PCs and consoles. I honestly think it’s more of an attempt of trying to make the current generation consoles relevant to 4K TVs and for VR. To a degree we could just look at the PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X as a new generation of consoles where it was made so that developers have to keep backwards compatibility in mind.

I see this as evidence that console manufacturers underestimated the power needed for these technologies and the “half-generation” just their hot-fix for this issue, because they don’t have a completely new generation of consoles ready. At least not for the price masses would buy them. TVs have just massively overtaken consoles technologically. And VR is just out of there and the original consoles can’t even touch it for the most part.

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Adding backwards compatibility to consoles may seem to bring consoles philosophically closer to PCs, but it’s not really the case. It’s just a “quick and dirty fix” that is a reaction to the really fast development in the TV and VR scene of things. PC are improving more “steadily” - even though a revolution here would be nice as well, as we could certainly use optimization for 6 and more core CPUs. And the AMD's Ryzen processors might bring us towards that path.

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So no. No end to the flame-wars is coming soon. What is coming is a test whether the new console half generations will be successful and whether VR will be a the next big thing. Just business as usual.

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As a Pc gamer i don't understand why i should pay more to play online, i beleive that is the case with consoles (please correct me if am wrong), also games are much cheaper in pc so am sticking with it.

Nice one, Fully agree! When you buy a PC, you are actually buying a tons of stuff in one purchase.

Yes, on pc, graphics are best, game's prices are lower :

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard PS4: $35
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard PC : $19

Yes, thank you for that example

Very informative will share this with my console friends. They just don't seem to understand..... Nice post! SteemON!

This is very true. I also stick to PC

PC is great for those with some computer knowhow, money, and/or time. But from what I understand, a solid gaming PC will still run you $1000. Plus I've found in my (rather limited) experience that local multiplayer is difficult or nonexistent on PCs.

Now, my current situation of living abroad has meant playing the PC for the first time ever, but I can really only run Torchlight 2 on my poorly outfitted rig. It's also nice not needing a TV since I have a laptop. That being said, I still prefer console just because I love the controller and it's so much easier to just plug and play.

I do not know if this war is gonna end soon but as a pc gamer since a very young age, I will remain on my positions. I know that consoles have a lot of pros but can't do anything about it, I simply prefer pc world

I am a PC gamer since my early ages and I honestly think PC is much better as well as cheaper.Second thing, some games will never be playable on console.For example World of Warcraft.I will never forget that feel and enjoyment while playing wow with my friends.Anyways I am not saying consoles are bad but I don't see why would I pay for games when I can play them for free on PC.
All the best,
@amburator

yes i agree, i can't imagine myself playing counter-strike or league of legends on a console! and these games are in the top list of games in a long time

Hey @kralizec

I don't tgink that Xbox have enough porential to beat the PC as PC is going to be powerfull day by day they have enough 10X times than Xbox. The Xbox just made to play game it will be good otherwise PC are the best.

I am really excited for Xbox One X lunch I don't when it is expected to be lunch .

I would like to thanks for this post

Keep posting Quailty Content

I love this gif :)

I converted to pc gaming a couple of years ago and haven't looked back.

Ha, I love both PC gaming and Console gaming. I enjoy the best of two worlds. PC has got some advantages but so does console. In the end it is the masses who will decide and I think that consoles will come on top just because they are more consumer friendly. I am not saying consoles are better than PC just that the average gamer will choose a console over a PC.

Well for PC, Its FREE to be online with Steam, as with PS4 and Xbox, you have to pay to play online with people. The games are cheaper on Steam. And I see Pcs are cheaper, you can build one, if a part breaks, you can replace that part, for PS4 its not that simple and could cost a fortune to pay someone to fix it. I have a friend, her PS4 quit working, she can't afford to get it fixed. had she had a Gaming PC, she could most likely afford the peice that's broken, say someone fixes consoles for $100, verses the fan breaking( on PC) and another fan will cost $10. If you ask me its cheaper to own a PC.

They are converging. Soon all computers will be super thin screens of varying sizes.

technology is never ending. there will be much better stuff in future.

I personally prefer PC over console, but I feel like I know where people who like consoles are coming from. What does everyone else think?

Here's why people buy consoles:

  1. PS4 costs about 20000 RUB (don't know what that is in USD), while a high-end gaming PC costs 150000 RUB (for the pc case alone). Sure, the games are more expensive for PS4, especially if you can go to the dark side on PC (you know what I mean) and get them free.

  2. Ease of use. All you have to do to play on PS4 is buy the game, put the disk in - and you're good to go. PC, meanwhile, you have to do all that (or download the game from Steam), set up drivers, choose graphics settings, and whatever else (like maybe your mouse stops working midgame, or videocard overheats).

  3. Bigger screen. TV's are usually bigger than monitors, and higher in quality (not in my case though)

  4. Ease of multiplayer. Pay for PS online (forgot what it's called), and you're done. There are always many players online (since there are a lot of PS4 users). PC - sometimes the servers are down, sometimes noone plays your particular game, sometimes you get disconnected a lot, latency issues, etc.

Those are the reasons off the top of my head, maybe someone else can add more

The first reason is pretty much the only argument that makes sense. But only to a degree - since you can easily just build a mid-range PC for a very similar price as a console has, though the XBOX ONE X is currently a very good value for the buck - nobody can argue with that..

The rest is just crap that get passed along from the old times.
Ease of use - buy game, click download, click play. That's all.
Bigger Screen - because a PC cannot be connected to a TV right?
Ease of multiplayer: servers down - that happens for all games, including the ones on consoles ; no-one playing a game - happens to consoles a lot ; getting disconnected and latency issues - those are issues with your internet, not your computer.

But this inspired me, I'll start making a series on why these "reasons" don't make sense these days.

Eternal battle for a reason.It has nothing to do with technical performance of consoles and pcs, but flawed and biased participators. Everyone pledging loyalty to machine they own. You would be surprised how people know nothing about tech, and yet fiercely defend it. Kinda expected when majority of gaming population are adolescent teenagers. :)

We are legion, we are superior race

I don't think half generations and backward compatibility are "quick and dirty fix/hotfixes" at all. Considering that the major players in console are Sony and Microsoft, they both have a great deal of understanding of all industries surrounding gaming.

Sony in particular is making those same TVs and VR that are taking the industry further ahead, while microsoft is still the premier operating system to run PC gaming. I very much agree with Michael Pachter insofar that the console makers are preparing for a console-less future.

Because you're right. The technology gets better, but the experience can be amazing without remotely taxing that tech at all. Nintendo and phone game manufacturers still make money. The future could look very different if Apple and/or Amazon initiate turning their TV products into gaming devices that boast a bevy of classics and a controller so you can dive in a play without having to buy anything else. What will happen when Activision decides to let people play Call of Duty on their tablets by purchasing directly from them? No more splitting costs with Xbox or Microsoft to play online on their servers or ship boxes to stores.

These guys are planning for this stuff years in advance. Whenever Sony thinks they can sell a Playstation TV, they'll offer it, just like microsoft is integrating their PC and Xbox games and accounts. They're all doing their best to stay ahead of the curve.

Consoles work because they're easy. And as long as people have more money than time and ingenuity then there will always be a place for consoles. I definitely agree with you that these flame wars aren't going anywhere, but as I finally find myself forced to use a PC to play and use my mouse to control my character I can see more and more the appeal of playing PC, but as soon as I can get a controller and a PS4 , I'll be a lot happier. I'm enjoying the hell out of Torchlight 2 though.

Can you please tell me the name of that tower? I can't for the life of me remember what they're called. I've wanted one since the first time I saw one in person.

oh man I don't remember the name and I can't seem to be able to find the picture anymore :D

But if you want something similar, just search for a clear case on line :)

Yeah, that wasn't terribly hard for me to find. It's called the P3, there is a larger version called the P5 (made by thermaltake).

and the ultra sized one is called the P7 haha

There's always a war between these consoles. I love all consoles because the experience is different between all of them.

This new innovation of technology makes me more excited to work hard. Gonna earn and buy them!

Macs aren't really great gaming machines, also the newest iMac (I think it is) can be upgraded though I doubt they will allow many third parties into their ecosystem. Consoles, yeah they are catching up to current midrange PCs but that just happens in the life cycle of consoles. I remember when the first Xbox and PS3 came out boasting these crazy numbers and many more cores than even some high end PCs at the time. I think it took less than 6 months for PC to rise back up and place them back into the dirt literally right up until this generation of 4k capable consoles rolled out. I've played games on PS4 and using my GTX 1080 and even though I only run 1080p the quality difference on say Warthunder is night and day. The real advantage of the console is code being so finely tuned to run on them, literally taking advantage of those little tricks they create to pump better visuals out of still limited boxes. I have seen the next gen console specs and as impressive as they are, they are not faster than high end PCs though they do step on midrange. You will always be settling for 2nd best with a console at least for the foreseeable future. What is more likely to happen is that PS4/Xbox compete to allow cross-platform which will serve to bolster the PC community. Many console defectors do so with good reason, that is where there friends are at. If at some point we can all play together (Warthunder, Rocket League, etc) in most games it is my belief that PC will benefit the most. I agree it should be interesting to see if these new half generations (probably need to be less than that) will work or if it will just annoy console gamers. I own a PS4 and shortly after I got it the Pro came out, I was rather annoyed but since I game on my PC I let it go. Had that been my gaming platform I feel like I would have had some rage but I suppose that can happen with any video card at any time. Great post!

Great post

FPS games such as call of duty are best enjoyed in pc... The mouse + keyboard is a killer combination 😎

Even if console's could manage proper graphs , it's controler vs keyboard mouse where the problem for multi platform gaming lies.
At this time pc players on a controller stil have there hardware .
PC gamers know that among equaly good players the best hardware wins .
A game like Rocket League is a good example of a well balanced game . To make multi platform work they downgraded graph's a bit for pc. And as a controller works best in a driving based sports game , no diverence there.
I hope to see more games like that in the futere .

A big warm Steemit Sunday greeting goes out to you Kralizec! :-D

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Flatrider

When the original Xbox one was released, it was quite possible to build a PC of similar specs and size, without much difference in price. With the new console however they have used some incredible engineering to build a premium experience that would be in a much larger box(albeit upgradable). I'm intrigued, but as I've said before, I've loved Xbox for a long time.

I prefer consoles even though I am a pc gamer, I prefrer a controller and to be honest, sure the graphics on a console are not as good, I do not play games for graphics and neither should you, a good game has average graphics and decent gameplay, a great game, has great graphics and amazing mindblowing gameplay. That is how I view it.

And no the Xbox One X is not a minor refresh it is a brand new system and is meant to replace the Xbox One even though microsoft isnt saying that.

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

The war between the consoles and PCs like the war between vodka and beer it will never ends..

The main difference between consoles and PC is the ease of use and the titles available. Even with everthing that's happening recently, we won't be getting all of the games on all of the platforms. For me there really isn't a war, it's just preference and I like all gaming platforms.

I always feel like I just have a lot more options with my PC, however I do use my Xbox controller whenever I can when playing a game :'D

honestly the only reason i play on pc instead of console is because the xbox live playstation plus crap they throw into it. I would honestly play on console more than pc if that wasn't there and just plug my kb&m into the console.