Difference between PC & Console gaming

[Michael Tree]

I'm going to be buying a new laptop soon (a Mac of some sort), and I'm trying to decide whether to buy an expensive one with good graphics and a 15' screen, or buy a less expensive laptop and a good console for my 34" HDTV.

I haven't owned a gaming console in decades, so I'm curious what sorts of games are available for them. I'm not crazy about FPSs - I tend to prefer RPGs, strategy games, fighting games, and weird narrative ones like Myst. Is there anything like this available for consoles, or am I better off just spending the extra money for a better laptop?

 

[Steel_Wind]

The differences are narrowing considerably. Moreover, the plain fact is, all the development money is in consoles right now, so that is where virtually all of the development is.

And this trend is only going to get worse I think. The console dev money is huge. If you are a seasoned developer with great tech and Triple A talent - consoles are your main focus these days. That's the way it is and it is only going to get worse. (The reason is simple: it's all about piracy).

Triple A pc titles are exceedingly rare these days. The big genres for PC remain MMOs, Strategy (which, due to interface issues and limited memory, consoles don't do very well) and shooters.

(And I expect the MMO scene is about to come alive on the 360 and PS3 as well in the next few years).

RPGs and action titles have moved pretty much to the console platform. The exceptions are high value moddable RPGs like NWN2 and Dragon Age games which are still king on the PC (and about which I know a little something ) Oblivion, ostensibly a cross platform title, plays much better on the PC but it does play on a 360.

I prefer shooters on the PC - but that does not mean there are not great shooters for the 360 and (someday) the PS3. Gears of War, while not strictly an FPS - is a shooter hybrid and is state of the art. Only on the 360. The forthcoming Halo 3 - ditto

If you were asking about gaming on a desktop or reducing your video card and getting a console...I might hum and hah and persuade you to stick with PC.

But if your choice is a laptop with *marginally capable and mondo expensive* hardware and no console - vs a serviceable laptop and a next gen console - the answer is simple: get the standard laptop and a 360.

Is your choice is a Mac....well that is no choice at all. Get a 360!! The games available for the Mac are few and far between.

I have a few laptops, 2 gaming desktop PCs, a PS2, Xbox, a 360 and a Wii. I do not (yet) have a PS3 and the only reason I would get one is that a project I might work on would require it. There is no way you can be into games in a serious way these days and not have a console though. That's just the way it is.

For adult targeted games, the 360 is the best current choice. The Wii is a great little system though, and it's hella fun. IF you can swing it - get both The PS3 costs as much as a Wii and a 360 put together!

I would not invest in a gaming laptop of any kind. The hardware is sucky, over priced and the game experience it delivers on anything but the most ridiculously expensive Alienware rigs are substandard. And you can't upgrade them (note: Asus demonstrated an external PCIE video card rig for laptops at CES last month that allowed upgrades. But that tech is not on the market yet and there is no word on price).

Short strokes: save your money and get a 360.

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

Save even more money and get a PS2.

Considering the genres you listed, the best games for you are probably on the ORGINAL Playstation; the PS2 will play these as well as all but a tiny handful of X-Box, GameCube and 360 exclusives, and no doubt a fair few Wii ones in years to come. You're looking at a library of easily 50+ RPGs, basically the only console adventure/narrative puzzle games (which, to be fair, generally aren't very good), the best selection of fighting games (although not necessarily the best - the GameCube/Wii and X-Box are both competitive in this category because their flagship titles are very good). Pure strategy games (either RTS or TBS) are few and far between on any console; the PS1 did have a (poor) port of X-Com UFO Defense and the superb but difficult to find Brigandine. The PS2 gives you access to an extensive selection of stratgey/RPG hybrids (Final Fantasy Tactics, Vandal Hearts 1 & 2, Tactics Ogre, Disgaea 1 & 2, Stella Deus, Phantom Brave, and several others), however.

I can't see reccomending an X-Box of any stripe to someone who isn't a huge fan of either FPSes or sports games; then again, I don't work for Bioware.

A gaming laptop is basically a misnomer. You just won't get good performance, good visuals or a good interface. A gaming Mac is very close to a misnomer, though arguably not as bad as it used to be. A gaming Mac laptop? I'm not sure you could find a game to run on that.

 

[drothgery]

Is your choice is a Mac....well that is no choice at all. Get a 360!! The games available for the Mac are few and far between.

I'm probably among the most anti-Mac people you can find, but given that modern Macs run Windows just fine, given a normal two-button external mouse, the lack of Mac games isn't a big deal.

 

[trancejeremy]

It depends on what type of RPGs. If you like western, action style RPGs, you might be better off getting a 360. If you like Japanese ones, then a PS2 is probably the best choice (or perhaps a PS3 and its backwards compatiblity).

If you like Strategy games, the PS2 probably is the best bet for home consoles, but you might consider getting a Nintendo DS Lite (the handheld thing). It doesn't have a lot of strategy games yet, but has a few (Age of Empires DS being the best, IMHO), and will be coming out with a lot more in the near future (Warlords DS, Jagged Alliance 2 DS, Disciples DS, Panzer Tactics). The DS also has a number of adventure games, most of which are crappy GBA ports, but some like Hotel Dusk, are really snazzy and possibly more coming soon.

Still, the best thing for gaming might just to be to install windows on your laptop. If it's got a good enough graphics card. The only thing it really lacks is fighting games.

 

[LightPhoenix]

Triple A pc titles are exceedingly rare these days. The big genres for PC remain MMOs, Strategy (which, due to interface issues and limited memory, consoles don't do very well) and shooters.

(And I expect the MMO scene is about to come alive on the 360 and PS3 as well in the next few years).

RPGs and action titles have moved pretty much to the console platform. The exceptions are high value moddable RPGs like NWN2 and Dragon Age games which are still king on the PC (and about which I know a little something ) Oblivion, ostensibly a cross platform title, plays much better on the PC but it does play on a 360.

Steel_Wind knows what he's about.

However, I'm not sure Strategy is not done well on consoles, it's just done differently. You certainly won't see a decent Civ game on them, but something like Vandal Hearts (old schoolgame) or Disgaea or Final Fantasy Tactics is pretty good.

Also, because SW didn't make a big enough point about it, IMO, RPGs on consoles are a LOT different than RPGs on a computer. They're generally much more linear, so don't go in expecting BG2-style games on any console.

As always when these types of discussions crop up, I recommend finding some friends that might own the consoles, or even see if you can rent them and some games, to try them out before you buy one. It's really about the games, and not the consoles, so find the games that you like first, and buy the console that will play them second.

 

[Cergorach]

Look at all the games that are out, and those that are coming out. Shorten the list to what you want to play, now be realistic and decide what you can play (due to time constraints of life). See what the games are made for and buy that.

For me it's PC all the way, but I'm not your typical user (need it for work and it's my whole home entertainment system). I'm also in a luxury position because my 'little' brother collects gaming consoles (you be surprised how many there are). But to be honest i don't play that many console games because my PC gets me a higher resolution and a higher quality image then the X-Box 360 ever could (but the video card is as expensive as a 360). If there weren't some titles i like exclusive to some of the gaming consoles i wouldn't even touch one...

 

[trancejeremy]

Also, because SW didn't make a big enough point about it, IMO, RPGs on consoles are a LOT different than RPGs on a computer. They're generally much more linear, so don't go in expecting BG2-style games on any console.

Yeah, but the last BG2 style game on the PC was BG2, what, 7 years ago? Nowadays you mostly get diablo clones and Elder Scrolls clones. The closest thing to BG2 was NWN2, and it wasn't particularly close (nor was it very good)

 

[TwistedBishop]

If you want RTS games, do pick up an Xbox 360. Microsoft is making quite a big push to migrate that experience over to consoles. It started with Battle for Middle Earth II as the testing ground last year, which basically laid the groundwork for a workable RTS control scheme on a console. This year they're trying to refine it wth Command and Conquer 3. Past that we have Halo Wars coming down the pipe.

As far as fighting games go, the 360 is getting Virtua Fighter 5 this year. The PS3 already has it. I'm not up on that genre but I do believe it's a big series for enthusiasts. The two big consoles, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, should serve you well in this category between the VFs, SCs, and DoAs.

The PS2 is the king of RPGs, at least at the moment. However, I wouldn't exactly recommend investing in a last gen system at this point. Yes it's very cheap and has a large library, but if you're buying for the future consider something newer. I will say that the 360, yet again, is a good place to get PC-style RPGs. Stuff like Oblivion, Mass Effect, Too Human, Knights of the Old Republic, Fable, Jade Empire. If your preferences run more to anime RPGs, then the PS2 is where you'd want to be. Or perhaps the PS3, considering it's backwards compatible.

Weird narrative games? That would have to be the Nintendo DS. Hotel Dusk is the big noise at the moment there, but the Phoenix Wright games are probably exactly what you'd want as well.

The good news is for the price of buying a "gaming laptop" (ie, overpriced underpowered gaming machine) you can probably get a standard laptop, a 360/PS3, and a Nintendo DS. Infact it might even be cheaper, if the "gaming laptops" are around $2000, a normal one would be $1000 plus a $400-600 console and the $130 DS Lite.

 

[Andre]

The differences are narrowing considerably. Moreover, the plain fact is, all the development money is in consoles right now, so that is where virtually all of the development is.

And this trend is only going to get worse I think. The console dev money is huge. If you are a seasoned developer with great tech and Triple A talent - consoles are your main focus these days. That's the way it is and it is only going to get worse. (The reason is simple: it's all about piracy).

//Sidetrack on//

I'm going to disagree with the last statement. To my mind, piracy is only a minor reason for the dominance of console vs pc game development.

1. Barrier to entry. It's a whole lot cheaper to get a console - several consoles - than one good, high-end gaming pc. Add in the hassles of upgrading hardware, updating drivers, and so on...consoles are far and away easier for the average user. And more console sales equals more potential game sales.

2. Consoles are much easier to develop for. Designers *hate* designing for the open pc architecture. No matter how much testing they do, as soon as a game is released, loud cries from a minority of users bemoan that their particular rig won't play the game. Yes, pc's have a lot more options compared to consoles, but those options become minefields for developers. Consoles are standard platforms that don't change much, if at all.

3. Money. Developing a high-end pc game is very expensive. Even worse, those of us who own pc's have become used to the pricing cycle for games. Very few games sale for full price after the first 3-6 months. If you don't have to have a particular game as soon as it comes out, wait 6 months or a year and get it at discount. Or wait for the compilation. And a nice bonus: you get the patched version, while all the other suckers bought the full priced beta version. Makes it much harder to recoup development costs.

4. Piracy and DRM. You know, I just don't see much piracy anymore. It used to be constant, and I'm sure it still happens, but the idea that game developers are losing their shirts primarily over piracy...I don't think so. They usually have much bigger problems, such as quality control, getting their products to potential buyers, being ripped off by distributors, and the factors I listed above. And frankly, the common response - add lots of DRM - is sometimes worse than the piracy in reducing sales. For myself, if a game has Starforce, it's a lost sale, no matter how much I want the game.

Bottom line: I love pc games and haven't owned a console since the SNES days. But if I were designing games, I'd go console all the way. Fortunately, there are still some hardy souls designing for my beloved pc.

//sidetrack off //