Difficult choice for a gamer: game console or pc? Everyone faces such a difficult choice, so we invite you to look at all the pros and cons of both sides and help you make your choice.

In turn, I was an avid PC user and felt that consoles, to put it mildly, were not worthy of my attention. However, my opinion changed radically when I bought a PS4 with a wonderful and unique game."The Last of Us"and went through it in one breath. It was worth it: emotions were just a sea.

So after all, let's look at all the above options and determine the pros and cons.

Advantages of game consoles:

Price (since the price of a good gaming computer is many times higher);

Full 100% optimization of the game for the hardware of consoles;

Piracy protection (licensed discs only);

Purely multimedia and gaming orientation (created for games and only for them);

Exclusivity (many gaming masterpieces are released only on consoles, for example, the mega cool game The Last of us. If you have a PS4, I highly recommend buying, exchanging or taking this wonderful game disc to play. By the way, minus towards XBOX One , on it you will not “switch” disks with friends. After the first launch on the console, the disk will no longer start on another. And this, in my opinion, is a huge minus);

Compactness, weight, dimensions (it is convenient to transport even in a plastic bag to the country, you only need a TV and the Internet);

The presence of built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi (which is very convenient).

Cons of gaming consoles:

Frankly weak, at the moment, "iron" (on one optimization you will not go far);

The cost of discs (depending on the game, the price varies from 2,000 to 4,000 thousand rubles. PC games are several times cheaper);

Controls (this is my subjective opinion. I’ve been playing on the console for a very long time, but I’m still not used to playing shooters comfortably. If you’ve been playing with a mouse and keyboard all the time and here you suddenly took the console’s joystick in your hands, then at least a little nervous a disruption lasting the first couple of weeks is provided to you);

Permanent connection to the Internet (for XBOX One - this is a prerequisite);

A small amount of third-party multimedia software (yes, in principle, for other functions, except for games, the console is not very suitable).

Pros of PC.

An endless increase in performance, since upgrading hardware is truly a pleasant experience and very interesting. If you have normal funding, you can simply collect a "monster";

The number of software and games (just the sea, the Internet is 200% full);

Input devices (keyboard, mouse and other devices, the same joysticks, but they, in principle, are also on consoles, but the price is many times different from a PC, I would say dozens of times);

The cost of the disks, I repeat (twice, at least, or even three times);

Usage functionality (for all functions, from multimedia and games to typing and video conversion. Yes, even surfing the Internet is much more pleasant through a normal browser and on a mouse with a keyboard than typing on a joystick, which is terribly annoying).

PC cons:

Dimensions (this is the main disadvantage. A good system unit weighs a lot, plus a monitor of 24-27 inches to it))), one person can hardly carry it away, unless from a store);

Price (a good gaming machine at the current rate costs about 50-70 thousand rubles, and this is without a monitor, keyboard and mouse, not to mention audio, Wi-Fi, etc.);

The absence of many gaming hits for the PC platform (see the issue of exclusivity above);

The presence of Windows (the most common operating system, in turn, the most buggy and with a sea of ​​​​viruses. However, Windows 10 is pretty good, I recommend);

OS price (again, Windows 10 costs about 5-8 thousand rubles).

Conclusions:

I won't go into too much detail, it's up to you, of course. Someone will say that the comparison is not equivalent, but I am an active user of the console, namely PS4 and PC in an average configuration, and I can safely say that the graphics on the PC and the console are many times different and far from in favor of the latest device. These are, of course, different devices, but still we considered the gaming component, which is the key in our review.

The console is a great gaming device that is 100% optimized for a comfortable gaming experience. However, if you want to enjoy really cool graphics, for example, crumple a couple of police cars into an "accordion" in gta v(which you will never do on consoles), and also need not only to satisfy gaming appetites, but sometimes or constantly use a PC for work, watching movies, converting videos, and so on, then your choice is obvious.

A gaming system unit with an average level of performance for games without a monitor will cost about 45,000 rubles. And for 30,000-35,000 rubles, we can also afford a new modern PS4 or XBOX One console. Again, it's a matter of finances. The choice is always yours. Good luck to all! Thank you for your attention.

With you were IGB.

The topic of choosing a platform for games will always be relevant on the Internet. Some say that nothing but a personal computer will be better. Others believe that it is consoles designed specifically for video games that are ideal for the buyer.

This dispute will never subside, but it’s still worth understanding the pros and cons of each gaming platform, as well as laying everything out clearly and on the shelves. On the site https://dwshop.ru you can get acquainted with modern personal computers and game consoles.

Gaming computer: pros and cons

Let's start with a computer, on which, no matter how insulting it was to the owners of consoles, all games are created. But is the grip of computers so strong in the confrontation with powerful consoles? We all know that good equipment is needed for a good performance of a computer. And in connection with such a situation on the market, it will all cost a pretty penny, rest assured.

It is also worth considering the installation of this huge colossus. Where to put the system unit, in which slot to stuff all these countless wires? But do not forget that the risk of infecting a PC with some dangerous virus is much higher than the risk of infecting a console. Yes, even if you protect your PC, sooner or later it will become obsolete. And believe me, the replacement of component parts will be close to the original cost of the computer.

But the PC also has a lot of advantages that consoles will never have: improved graphics combined with high resolution, a lot of online games, ease of control and much more. The most, perhaps, the main plus that all PC owners cite is the cost of games on a computer and console. Not everyone wants to overpay sometimes huge sums for exactly the same graphics and the same gameplay.

As a result, we were left with a double impression of the PC. No matter how powerful your gaming computer is, it will become obsolete very quickly and will soon require a lot of expenses again.

Game consoles

Now let's move on to a platform specially designed for games - the console. Of course, we will not take into account the old generation consoles, because the gap between PS4 and PS3, Xbox 360 and Xbox One is quite large. It is worth immediately noting their ease of use, as well as the cost, which, if not much, but below the average gaming PC.

At the moment, the new generation of consoles just "blew up" the gaming market. This is all due to the number of exclusives on them, their cost, as well as ease of handling. Let the games on the console and are more expensive, but it's worth it, believe me. The console takes up little space, weighs almost 2 kg, which is two times less than a PC system unit, but at the same time, all the games that you install on it will be saved to your hard drive.

That is, if the game weighs 70 GB, then you will have 430 GB left for the rest of the games. Pretty inconvenient, right? But companies are already offering larger storage hard drives (1 terabyte, 2 terabyte, etc.). It is worth considering that with the console you will be sure to run absolutely any game, which cannot be said about the PC. It will not be very pleasant to realize that the game for 1300 rubles will not go to your computer.

Of course, none of them has yet overtaken each other. But it is worth agreeing that a new, so to speak, “epoch” is coming. As you have already noticed, most interesting and beautiful games come out first on consoles, then on computers. The developers themselves understand that the PC is loosening its grip on the market. So think about it, and make the right choice!

Are you going to play? Immersion in the fascinating world of computer games is available to everyone today. There are many games, but what will be more convenient, brighter and cooler to play? A home personal computer is a universal device, it allows you to play everything. But the game console maximizes all the attractive aspects of the gaming world.

Today there is a wide choice of game consoles, for any even very picky taste. Such as, for example, XBOX 360 (Microsoft), its rival PlayStation 3 (Sony), Wii (Nintendo). There is also a PS3, XBox, Wii rental.

Wii has the ability to determine the movement of a person in three-dimensional space. In addition, a speaker and a vibration mechanism are mounted in the controller, which in turn provides feedback to the set-top box.

A similar game console XBOX 360 has similar features. Her device for detecting human movements is called Kinect. It is a set-top box located on a round stand, which is equipped with a video camera and a microphone that localizes ambient noise, which in turn gives greater freedom of action without using headphones and a microphone. This console, without any controllers, can recognize any human actions in three-dimensional space, perceive the voice and facial expressions of the players. Because you are the controller.

There is an age-old debate on the Internet about what is better than a game console or a personal computer. Here are some arguments in favor of gaming consoles. Of course, game consoles are not as versatile in their functions as personal computers. But it is fully specialized for playing beautiful graphics and is much more powerful than conventional computers, you do not need to suffer with graphics settings on your computer. And not all computers will be able to pull any modern game, which in itself is a sad fact for gamers. Therefore, you have to upgrade your computer, which by itself is a waste of money. The main advantage of game consoles is that the latest game releases are published first for the Xbox 360 and PS3, and then for personal computers. Also, game consoles save us from waiting for the installation of the game from the disc to the computer, just put the disc with the game in the console and start playing.

Despite the fact that these consoles were launched in early 2006, they still show good performance. Games on consoles always come in high resolution and it is desirable to play on consoles with widescreen TVs with a diagonal of 32 "and Full HD support, which makes it possible to enjoy a beautiful picture, unlike computer monitors with an average diagonal of 17 or 19 inches.

A big plus of game consoles is that they are transportable, and you can take it to a party with friends and arrange gaming competitions for up to 4 players, of course, you will need four joysticks and a large diagonal TV (it will be divided into 4 even parts for the convenience of players ). Of course, you won’t be able to play such game battles for four people on a personal computer.

Game consoles have their own gaming Internet services where you can play any game you like, such as XBOX Live or the PlayStation Network Platform for PS3. For personal computers, there is a similar service such as Steam, but, unfortunately, it supports very few games. Through Internet services for consoles, it is convenient to receive content updates and necessary patches. It can also be noted that Internet access is possible through game consoles. The Playstation 3 has its own web browser. Some skeptics may say that it is more convenient to play strategy games on a computer, thanks to such a controller as a mouse and keyboard, but it is possible to buy a completely ordinary USB mouse for the Playstation 3. But the fun of fighting and arcade games will certainly be better on the console.

The announcement of the PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox Scorpio has become another reason to make sure of this

Computer next to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3

This may come as a surprise to some of you, but we at the newsroom are big fans of PC gaming. A shocking statement, I understand. We're probably going to be accused of bias by game console enthusiasts, but we'll still take it upon ourselves to say this: PC games are more accessible than ever before, and for many, they're more valuable for a variety of reasons. once again convinces us of this.

And that's why.

Price

Let's start right away with the price issue, which for some reason, out of politeness or caution, they prefer not to mention. It is clear that earlier PCs were significantly inferior to consoles in this criterion. “Yeah, I would have to spend thousands of dollars on a PC, while a game console can be purchased for as little as $300-$400.”

PC games are still more expensive, at least at first. And little has changed here. Anyone who can build a $400 desktop computer is either a magician or a lucky guy who buys all the components at a discount and spends his whole life waiting for sales. It remains only to wish him good luck.

However, PCs are no longer as expensive as they used to be. In a number of online stores you can find a lot of entry-level models for $ 550, but when I saw high-end computers for only $ 800-900, my eyes just went out of my head.

Prices have dropped a lot - especially for graphics cards. A very good deal for anyone who wants to play on the cheap is AMD's Polaris GPU right now. The Radeon RX 470 video card based on it will cost you only $200 - simply unbelievable! Those who wish can familiarize themselves with the test results in detail, but I will only touch on the essence. At 1080p, you get 60 frames per second on virtually any modern game. And it's only $200.

Yes, today it is not easy to find an RX 480 at a recommended price, but the thing is that manufacturers are striving to make PC games accessible to the consumer. They want enthusiasts to buy GPUs. And competition is making PCs cheaper than before.

But the $200 graphics card is much more powerful than what's inside the recently announced PlayStation 4 Pro console. Let's compare at least pure performance in teraflops:

Xbox Scorpio (with unknown AMD GPU, presumably with Vega): 6

However, in doing so, we can go a little wrong, because consoles and PCs use the available hardware in different ways, but for a rough comparison, this is quite enough. For $200, you get a graphics card that (at least on paper) looks better than the PS4 Pro. Throw in the missing parts and you'll have a great computer for a fraction of the cost, especially if you (like many others) already have a keyboard, mouse, and the right monitor.

And if you focus on the performance of PS4 and Xbox One, everything will come out even cheaper. A $110 graphics card like the GeForce GTX 950 or Radeon RX 460 paired with an affordable FX-6350 processor, and you've already broken that low bar.

However, this is still not enough

“Well, I convinced you: PC gaming is now more accessible than ever before. But they are still quite expensive compared to consoles. And I don't understand why a PC is so much more valuable for most gamers." Wait a minute, dear skeptic, we'll get to that now.

Ease of upgrade

There have been big changes in the world, which inspired this article.

A lot of people are waiting for November today with annoyance. After all, a few years ago they bought the PlayStation 4 - the most powerful console in the world at that time. And these people expected that she would serve them for a long time. For many, many years.

Sony PlayStation 4 Pro Console

Isn't it strange why users are willing to shell out more than $600 for a phone every two years, but still think that a $400 console should last them at least ten years? However, now we are talking about something else. It doesn't really bother me at all - after all, I write for PC World. Yes, and the argument leads us away from the main topic.

The main thing is that console manufacturers have decided to adopt a modernization strategy that is characteristic of the PC. And based on the current announcement of the PlayStation, it is quite possible to expect the transformation of consoles into "platforms" - dividing equipment into levels with the advent of more powerful devices every three to four years. And it's not just Sony doing this. Microsoft has its own Project Scorpio, according to which the Xbox One update is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2017.

At the same time, the consoles are not adapted for modernization. In practice, it is absolutely impossible to modernize them. And here we need a different terminology. You can’t open the PlayStation 4 case, put a new GPU in there, and continue to enjoy the games as if nothing had happened. I'll have to take my old PS4 to the flea market and buy myself a new one.

You will not be able to install a new, more powerful Scorpio processor in an old Xbox One console

I am ready to admit that the first purchase of a PC will cost more, but it will be much easier to upgrade it later. If you approach it sparingly, the processor will easily last you up to six years, and the graphics card four to five years. Frame? Memory? Power unit? Fans? Hard disks? All this is relatively inexpensive, and you can upgrade indefinitely, from assembly to assembly, replacing only what is really needed.

You'll be able to easily stay on budget by making necessary updates over a very long period of time, especially if your goal is just to stay ahead of consoles. Plan ahead and you'll end up spending at least no more than buying a new console every three to four years.

However, I'm not sure that in a few years we will see another iteration of PS4/Xbox One. Perhaps all this is a one-time action. Still, I think that regular console updates will become the new normal.

The era of exclusive console games is over

Tonight I can open Steam and run Street Fighter V. Or play Dead Rising 3, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Axiom Verge, Talos Principle, Killing Floor 2, Darkest Dungeon, No Man's Sky, Downwell, SOMA, Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, Transistor, Grow Home, Hotline Miami 2, N++, Volume and more. In the video presented here, you can see what Tekken 7 looks like on PC at 4K resolution.

All these games were developed exclusively for Xbox One or PlayStation 4. More precisely, they were marketed for a specific console with the label “Console Exclusive”, although in addition to the console version, as a rule, there was also a PC version. Both Sony and Microsoft considered the PC to be no man's land.

Sony, however, behaved more cautiously, leaving first-person games only to themselves. Until now, you will not be able to find a version of Uncharted 4 for PC. But there are already signs that things could change. Sony recently launched a subscription-based game streaming service for PC.

Microsoft went one step further and immediately announced its support for Xbox and Windows 10 by launching the Xbox Play Anywhere program. Today, almost every Xbox Exclusive game has a Windows 10 version released on the same day. Examples include Gears of War 4, ReCore, Quantum Break, Forza Horizon 3, and more. The only Xbox series not yet included in this program is Halo.

Basically, when you buy a PC, you now have access to most console games. True, a number of first-person games for Sony consoles still remain unavailable, but everything else is already on the market, and often (with the exception of rare cases like Arkham Knight) in higher quality than the console versions.

Nothing exclusive to PC

Probably, you will find a friend who snickers sarcastically: “But for the PC, there is nothing exclusive at all.” It must be that everyone has already met such people, and if not in person, then certainly on the forums.

The argument is rather strange, and it only testifies to ignorance of the PC platform. Perhaps your interlocutor simply does not finish: "There is nothing exclusive to the PC that I would like to play." Meanwhile, there are far more games exclusively for PC today than for consoles.

Civilization VI - PC Only

Take, for example, the strategy genre. With the exception of Halo Wars and a few less successful games, all strategy games, both turn-based and real-time, are mostly on the PC - and there are plenty of them.

Moreover, the matter is not limited to strategies for the assiduous. There are hundreds of games released every year that make a name for themselves on PC and never make it to consoles. They belong to a wide variety of genres, ranging from shooters (Unreal Tournament, Quake Champions) to role-playing games (Tyranny, Mount & Blade II) and ... I don’t even know what (Duskers, Factorio).

backward compatibility

It should also be noted that, having acquired a PC game, you become its owner forever. (True, some people are terrified that Valve's Steam service will close and their games will stop working. But in any case, there is also an alternative in the form of GOG.)

The legacy of PC gaming goes back over forty years. Thanks to the passion of the PC community, most of the games released in the past 40 years are still available today. Text Adventures? The Interactive Fiction database is at your service. DOS? Thanks DOSbox. More complex environments from 15 or 20 years ago? Again, GOG.com plus (if the game is popular enough) dozens of modern options to enhance the experience.

This 24 year old PC game is still playable

But I have not yet mentioned not quite clean from a legal point of view, console emulators for PC. However, we will not dwell on them in our article.

Buy a PC and the whole story will be revealed to you. Just last week, a slew of classic Sierra games hit Steam, from Gabriel Knight to Phantasmagoria and Caesar III. The best of what was offered in the 90s is available to today's players.

Of course, this approach also has its drawbacks. Installation can be tricky, especially if you have no idea what you're doing. But if I ever get the chance to play Planescape: Torment on the hardware I have (without going looking for a 1999 PC and hoping for a publisher who might be funding a modern version), I'll definitely take it. Meanwhile, PlayStation 4 owners can only play PlayStation 3 games, and even then only if they pay $20 a month for a PlayStation Now subscription.

Sales and free games

"Okay, but I don't like classic games and/or have played all of those games before." Great news! When it comes to just new products, it's even cheaper to play on PC. Prices fall quickly, become lower and tend to remain at this level.

The first thing that comes to mind is Steam Sales, but that's not all. GOG.com, Amazon, Green Man Gaming, Gamersgate, Humble all have regular sales. You can easily get a huge library of games on the cheap and fully offset the cost of your hardware.

It's not uncommon to see Steam accepting pre-orders for popular games at 10 or even 20 percent off, and six months after release, many publishers are selling their products for $15-$20 or less. Great indie games are often on sale for under $10 or even $5. You just have to be patient. What about consoles? Even on sale, most AAA games don't go below $30 for many years.

And there are also free products. Oddly enough, even the most famous (and beloved by us) games are sometimes distributed for free. You must have heard of Dota 2 and League of Legends? About Team Fortress 2? About Path of Exile? About Evolve? You can spend hundreds (or even thousands) of hours playing some of these best PC games without paying a dime.

What else

Are you annoyed by flickering on the screen? Adjusting the field of view will mitigate the negative effect. Personally, I prefer to have a field of view of around 100 degrees while playing on PC. When playing on a console, the screen is further away and the field of view is usually limited to 60 degrees. But this is not the main thing. The most frustrating thing is that console games usually have a fixed field of view, which means you can't change it even if you get tired. (This also includes motion blur.)

Playing a game you don't like? Steam, Origin, GOG.com and many other sellers are willing to refund a game if certain criteria are met. This allows you not only to get money back if the developer did not release the game on time, but also to check if it will run on your machine. Many doubts can be dispelled in this way.

We, perhaps, will not touch on paid online tournaments. No, no, not now.

Control flexibility

You can talk about the merits of a mouse and keyboard for a very long time, but I prefer to refrain from it. Suffice it to say that they are much more accurate, more familiar (for new players), and more responsive than a controller.

However, today so many console games have already been transferred to the PC that it would be quite natural to use the original control scheme on at least some of them. Dark Souls and Assassin's Creed immediately come to mind. These games are best played with a gamepad. Fortunately, the operation of connecting an Xbox One or DualShock 4 controller to a PC is now easier than ever. And it doesn't matter if you use a cable or (as is the case with the Xbox One S and DS4) via Bluetooth. Most games today support PC controllers, especially when it comes to popular multi-platform products.

PC anyway

And finally, the most important thing.

Probably, discussing the price of a gaming PC in isolation from everything else is not very correct. However, there are reasons for this. Perhaps in your daily life you prefer portable computers. And someone is used to doing all the work on the tablet.

But for many, the essential (or at least the preferred option) is still the desktop. People who process photos, sound and video, type texts on the keyboard for long hours and are used to playing for fun, need a powerful PC. And some just like to sit at the table in front of a large screen and a comfortable keyboard.

Why not use a PC for both work and play?

In other words, there is almost always a reason to subsidize the purchase of a gaming PC. “Well, I still need a desktop computer that can run Ableton, Word and Premiere, so why not splurge on the extra $200 they're asking for a Radeon RX 480 and turn it into a gaming machine as well. ?

But what about the console? Unfortunately, it only serves one purpose, and that becomes especially evident in the era of the $35 Chromecast. There are so many ways to get Netflix, Amedia Library, and the like on your TV that you don't need to buy a console to do it.

Conclusion

Of course, PC games come with some challenges. Streaming on Twitch seems too confusing for the unsophisticated. If the game crashes, get ready to spend some time on the Google or Steam forums. Need to update your graphics drivers? Another hurdle. Even the process of assembling a PC can be stressful at first.

After all, this is not for everyone. Not yet.

But PC games are much more accessible than they were in the past. On the Internet, you can find the answer to almost any question that you may have, all the error codes that the game gives out are explained. A driver update is now a one-click process and takes significantly less time than a firmware update on any existing console.

PCs are in good shape - probably the best they've ever been. At the same time, they are constantly being improved. And if the announcement of the Sony PlayStation 4 Pro left you feeling disappointed or thought provoking, perhaps now is the time to make the switch to a more open platform.

And we will be glad to see you in our ranks.

that's it! depending on what to play)

Well, if you connect a PC to a TV, and joysticks to a PC, then you can safely put the console on a flea market) As a PC gaming platform, it’s much better - a PC can do everything that a console can, but consoles can’t keep up with a PC. It seems like new nextgen consoles have come out, but still they are not able to keep stable 60 fps at 1080p in games. I'm not talking about 120 or 144 fps with the appropriate monitor. Consoles slow down the development of games in technical terms, because game developers mainly release multi-platform games that should work well on both PC and console. If we take into account that the life of the console is about 8 years, the hardware in it will not naturally be updated, we will get a small technological leap in terms of the development of graphics and technologies. game developers, now and eight years from now, will have to write games that must work well for this console. But in eight years, a lot has changed in terms of technology, but it’s impossible to implement it either on PC or on consoles. console iron will not pull.
The only reason to buy a console is exclusives. And this is the most cheating method of drawing attention to the console, Sony and Microsoft know about it, and use it to the fullest. I had an xBox 360. The only thing I played on it was FIFA and fighting games, the rest of the games are much nicer and more convenient to play on a PC.
Many write that those who voted for the PC cannot afford the console, well, this is just ridiculous) I always thought that this is a console for the poor, given the cost of a good gaming PC) And in general, people, stop downloading games from torrents! or download and if you like it - buy it. Support the developer in the future, we may see exclusive, real nextgen games on PC, and not the non-nextgen that is now on consoles.
boy, I have an xbox for playing in the hall at 55 inches, I work on imac 2014, I take a macbook air on the road .... I bought a prefix in your opinion??? I’m just not a geek and I’m not chasing some number of frames, I don’t always see the difference ... and updating a com every six months is nonsense for geeks in my opinion.
Boy? Well, well ... I had a 65-inch box, but this is not it.
1. No need to update the computer every six months, once every 2-3 years is enough.
2. I was talking about the technical total superiority of the platform and not about the pursuit of personnel.
3. It is impossible not to notice the difference between 30, 60, 120 and 144 frames, it is more than obvious.
4. You have trouble recognizing sarcasm.
1. 3 years you still went too far
2. Technically, it makes no sense to compare them - it's like comparing a train and a ship - they have different purposes. (so the xbox 360 lived for games much longer than the most sophisticated PC at the time of release, and X still plays badly, and the PC of that time won’t even open an office, but of course you can get a better picture on a PC if you want. Although 70% of PC players have average and up to ultra it’s like up to the moon, but on average settings on a PC, it’s generally soap and not a picture)))
3. The difference between 30 and 60 frames can be seen only in dynamic scenes, and between 120 is completely impossible
4. There is a thin line between sarcasm and stupidity.
5. For now, I'm quite satisfied with xbox one and as soon as the successor comes out, I'll buy it too and forget about upgrades for a couple of years .... well, the kinect is not idle when friends come