The battle lines are drawn. On one side sit the console players, lounging on their couches, controllers in hand. On the other, the PC gamers, clutching their keyboards and mice, their computers as powerful as they are pricey. But which is better?
Despite what a console or PC fan might tell you, the answer is neither. There s no better or worse way to play games, just different ways that appeal to different folks. PCs and consoles each have their strengths and weaknesses, and whether you re trying to decide which world to jump into yourself or are planning a gift for that loved one in your life, it s worth knowing the differences.
The Basics
For all the variations between consoles and PCs and we ll get to them the fundamental choice you re making is between ease of use and customizability. On the whole, video game consoles are easier to plug in and play with. They re cheaper to buy and set up than PCs; aren t prone to crashes or malware; and have a standard, straightforward controller that anyone can master.
Computers, on the other hand, offer almost unlimited customization options. You can buy a premade gaming PC or build your own. You can play using a keyboard and mouse, a controller, or even a flight stick or steering wheel in certain games. And you get access to the most stunning graphics in the world if you can afford them. Unfortunately, that caveat runs through all of PC gaming: You can get the best possible experience, but you have to pay for it with money, time or both.
Why Consoles Are Cheap
Making computer games is an incredibly complex process, all the more difficult because every gaming PC is different. Developers can t count on your having a specific CPU or video card; they have to make their games work for everyone. They solve this by putting in settings to scale graphics quality, letting your PC throw as much power as it can at the problem. Games always look better on a capable gaming PC than they do on a console because they can throw more calculations into the mix. It s a blunt but effective approach.
It s also a pricey one. Beneath their stylized cases, gaming consoles are just computers. Each one has a CPU, memory, a graphics card, a hard drive and so on and compared to the specs sheet of your average gaming PC, those components aren t too impressive. A console s video card might be a generation or two behind, and you might only have 4GB or 8GB of memory, compared to the 16GB or 32GB that most gaming desktops have.
The trick is that each copy of a given console is the same. Every PlayStation 4 has identical components; all Xbox Ones have the same processor and graphics card. Developers can optimize their games for those specific components, letting them wring a lot more capability from cheaper silicon. That s why consoles cost less than half the price of a decent gaming computer developers are able to do more with less.
Why PCs Are Expensive
As powerful and capable as even the best game consoles can be, PCs offer a different level of gaming. Playing the game Elite: Dangerous with a dedicated flight stick and throttle is as close as you ll get to piloting a real ship in the wide expanse of space. Real-time strategy games like StarCraft II are unplayable without a keyboard and mouse, while competitive shooters like Overwatch and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive all but require fine-tuned control for pixel-perfect aiming and rapid reflexes.
The problem is that you have to pay for these benefits, and not just in cash. Computers are prone to crashes, incessant updates and compatibility issues. To be a PC gamer, you need to have a savvy confidence with your system and the time and patience required to solve issues as they arise. Consoles are meant to be plug and play: Turn the system on, put a disk in the tray, and you re ready to go.
Decision Time
So which should you pick? If you re buying a system for a loved one, you should probably get a console like the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. They re much cheaper than gaming PCs, don t really require a lot of extra know-how to use effectively and open up a world of gaming possibilities.
But don t count PCs out. If you have the money to spend and the time to devote to tweaking your system to perfection, you ll experience the closest thing you can get to perfect gameplay, with unmatched controls and a level of graphical fidelity no console can hope to match.
