# General > PC & Console Gaming >  The Biggest Debate in Gaming.

## phoenixtwin2

... dramatic pause ...

Xbox 360 or Ps3.

and why?

 ::

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## luna11

neither i like the wii it was the first console i had and me and my friends can connect easy on it.

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## Alrock

Neither... PC... Does everything the other two do plus a whole lot more...

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## openminder

xbox 360 because they are cheaper than the ps3 and easier to connect

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## phoenixtwin2

but what about those that cant afford a custom pc or an alienware? and the WII is awkward and i cant play any serious games on it without buying a gaming controller for it and the graphics arent as good.

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## Yoda the flump

> Neither... PC... Does everything the other two do plus a whole lot more...


 ^..This.. ^

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## EDDIE

> Neither... PC... Does everything the other two do plus a whole lot more...


Iused to like pc gaming but its costly in upgradeing the hardware to play the latest games were as xbox and ps3 the games are made for the console so from that point of view the xbox and ps3 is better than pc gaming

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## EDDIE

I would say have both the would be ideal the quality of games is much and such between the 2 just xbox have some games that are xbox only like halo and ps3 has games that are ps3 only.
And also xbox has kinnect far superior to ps move which is crap were as the ps3 has blu ray drive were xbox doesnt thats another 2 reason to have both.

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## Niall Fernie

I've never like console gaming as the graphics are sooo far behind and the cost of buying games far outweighs upgrading.

Plus look at the spec on the 360 (for example), you could build a far superior PC for pretty much the same money  (or at least you could if you could find old enough parts)

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## RecQuery

I'm a PC gamer, I've tried all the consoles and while they're okay and there's the odd good game that's console only they really don't compare to the PC. One thing I do find annoying is the dumbing down of PC games (simple interface, lower quality graphics, smaller levels or explorable areas, simpler game mechanics) to appeal to console players.

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## regalkings

Sorry Niall but not everbody likes PCS, you may very well be right in what your saying but some people simply prefer consoles like myself, I have found more times than I care to count that when a game is released the pc version always seems to have the worst reviews, my pc is probably capable of supporting better graphics than my console but i use it for hd videos & music more than anything

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## regalkings

Also Niall how can you complain about console graphics, Killzone 2 & 3, Gears Of Wars, Heavenly Sword & Assassins Creeds are among some of the best graphics I have seen

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## Niall Fernie

I'm not going to suggest that the graphics on consoles are rubbish, far from it, for the time they were amazing.

I'm just saying that a few years down the line they are now at the limit of what can be output from these old machines.

Here's a quick comparison with the equivalent Xbox gpu and an old card of mine:

http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php?card1=557&card2=358

It cost me around £100 at the time (about the saving on buying 5 games)

I'm using something a little faster now:

http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php?card1=604&card2=358

Again, around the £100 pound mark.

So in around 4 years I've spent about £200 on graphics cards, money which I've easily saved on the cost of the games I've bought.  I can still play all my old games (albeit with much improved graphics)

I'm pretty sure that the next generation of consoles will far out perform my current setup but the chances are I'll only have to shell out another £100 to match the latest and greatest console.  I'll still be saving around £20 per game and will soon save my money.

Other benefits of the PC are if anything breaks you can replace it for less than the cost of a new console.

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## RecQuery

I don't even care about graphics that much I prefer gameplay and play a lot of older games. Even I can see how bad the graphics are on consoles. With console gaming and the multi-platform aspect of most modern games now I can up them to high or ultra graphics settings without even having to think about it and it's still not taxing the GPU. Lots of the time I've installed custom textures or graphics mods to try and improve it. In cases where ultra actually does tax the GPU then the console version is usually hard coded to medium or lower.

There are a ton of YouTube videos comparing this just do a search for 'PC vs console graphics' actually because consoles are holding back graphics and other things with their hardware most PC gamers find they don't need to upgrade as often,

Even ignoring the graphic aspects (I wish more games developers did and focused on other things) I still think the PC has more advantages for gaming. My main problem is with the dumbing down of PC gaming to appeal to console players.

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## Niall Fernie

I agree on gameplay, I mostly play QuakeLive and have pretty much all the textures and effects turned off.  All the character models are forced to be the same and it plays at a million miles an hour with a rock steady 125 fps.

I did some googling and found a page with screenshot comparisons between xbox and pc (i'd imagine ps3 is much the same):

http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/pc/20...c-comparison/1

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## phoenixtwin2

although im still with console, the reason being some games dont support controller and your stuch with a keyboard and mouse. the other point is that the xbox 360 and the ps3 are coming on around about 8 years old and they are still quite good graphics even in comparison to the modern updated PC.

the only flaw i have with the xbox is its lack of a browser but even if it did i would use my laptop 9/10 times i think the ps3 controller is too small but it does have blue ray player although the xbox has downloadable high definition movies but its not the same as putting a cd in because you have to download the movies...

i do think tho that once the xbox 450/720 etc...  and the ps4 come out it will out match almost every computer system out there (besides really high end spec.)

the other issues i have is the pc gets out dated so fast. the i could have spent £300 for an xbox and had it for 8 years.

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## octane

Need I say more  



BTW how many can remember those titles.......retro days !!

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## RecQuery

> although im still with console, the reason  being some games dont support controller and your stuch with a keyboard  and mouse. the other point is that the xbox 360 and the ps3 are coming  on around about 8 years old and they are still quite good graphics even  in comparison to the modern updated PC.
> 
> the only flaw i have with the xbox is its lack of a browser but even if  it did i would use my laptop 9/10 times i think the ps3 controller is  too small but it does have blue ray player although the xbox has  downloadable high definition movies but its not the same as putting a cd  in because you have to download the movies...
> 
> i do think tho that once the xbox 450/720 etc...  and the ps4 come out  it will out match almost every computer system out there (besides really  high end spec.)
> 
> the other issues i have is the pc gets out dated so fast. the i could  have spent £300 for an xbox and had it for 8 years.


I use an Xbox 360 controller for games that I think play better with them, it works out of the box. If that particular game or PC version of it doesn't support controllers then I use a utility called Xpadder to create that support.

The thing is, a console is outdated from the point it was manufactured yes there are revisions and variations in different models but for the most part it's the same hardware from the point it was built. And as most games have to play on both platforms then anything a console runs, a PC or similar or higher specs regard of when it was made and when it starts not to what a lot of PC gamers do is slowly lower the graphics sliders. You can build a good gaming system for £300-£700. That'll last at least 5 years, more if you do the occasional upgrade. Most PC builders are very concerned about price http://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc is proof of that. There's a small minority that are concerned with always being on the bleeding edge but they usually have entirely too much money and buy overpriced crap anyway.




> ...BTW how many can remember those titles.......retro days !!


I play a lot of retro games I buy some of them from Good Old Games or a lot of them are considered Abandonware. ScummVM has a lot of free Lucas Arts adventure games also. There are even some people (One, Two, Three) that review older games, it's pretty fun to watch.

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## phoenixtwin2

#!



if you cover the corners saying the xbox or pc you wouldnt know which one is better graphics most of the time.

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## Niall Fernie

Not wrong about the graphics there phoenixtwin2, however most games these days seem to be written for the consoles first and then ported to the PC and so the graphics will never be much different.  Its probably why my machine is still able to crank out at least medium settings on almost all games out today.

If you look at games written for PC first and then ported back to console you can see a huge difference.  DiRT 3 is a good example, written to run on triple header graphics cards out-of-the-box and then seriously clawed back to run on today's consoles.




> There's a small minority that are concern with always being on the bleeding edge but they usually have entirely too much money and buy overpriced crap anyway.


Oh yes, wouldn't we all love to be able to afford a couple of HD 7970s or GTX 590s and the beast PC required to support them.

I don't think you'll ever see games like World of Warcraft on a console as the players would never put up with the frame rate drop during busy times.  Say what you like about console games but I'll give them that, the frame rate is pretty stable on everything I've ever seen played.  However the difference between fishing off the pier at Shadowprey Village at sunset and a "quick" visit to the auction house in Orgrimmarr on a Saturday afternoon is literally night and day  :Smile:   Plus the fact that my WoW install is around 30gigs, do consoles even have that space to play with?

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## meyman

For the price of a gaming PC you could get PS3, XBOX, Vita and Wii. But the main problem with a PC is the constant upgrade of hardware, yeah it might ONLY be £100 - £200 a year for a new card but thats alot of money when looked at over the lifespan of either the PS3 or XBOX.

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## Niall Fernie

However:

http://www.play.com/Games/PC/4-/18028090/The-Elder-Scrolls-5-Skyrim/Product.html

vs

http://www.play.com/Games/Xbox360/4-/18028093/The-Elder-Scrolls-5-Skyrim/Product.html

and so on.

As I've said, it won't take many games to pay for a juicy upgrade.

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## Me and Them

xbox cause its cheaper...............

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## phoenixtwin2

i think i have amazing news for everybody. steam might be linking up with alienware to put together a pc based console that will come with really high specs. and its meant to be cheap because the high bulk of orders. probably around £400. but i think it will open up ames for alot of people and maybe even world of warcraft. if you want more information tis called "STEAM BOX" and i think valve had got something to do with it also... :S

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## M R

RROD - YLOD  Ring any bells with the console lovers  ::    consoles don't last,  they need fixed every couple of years if well used.....

FORZA - Xbox  - if it was on the PC i would forget about the xbox
COD - FIFA - PS3
ARMA - Battlefield and a few others on the PC

I wonder how much additional ££ people here spend on DLC content for their console games ???  just a rip off

PC wins for me everytime for me.

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## EDDIE

> RROD - YLOD  Ring any bells with the console lovers    consoles don't last,  they need fixed every couple of years if well used.....
> 
> FORZA - Xbox  - if it was on the PC i would forget about the xbox
> COD - FIFA - PS3
> ARMA - Battlefield and a few others on the PC
> 
> I wonder how much additional ££ people here spend on DLC content for their console games ???  just a rip off
> 
> PC wins for me everytime for me.


 Come next year thats going to be thing of the past the rumour is the next ps4 and xbox are both considiring dropping the rom and traditional hard drive and thats what cause all the heat and problems .
I used to be a pc gamer i and about 1 year later the cpu or motherboard goes faulty if ure a hard user.
But these days its all about online gaming and if all ure mates are on xbox or ps3 its not much fun if u have pc i think thats the deciding factor in everthing

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## Niall Fernie

A new xbox and ps is long overdue I think.

I don't agree with the online gaming argument, almost every game released these days is an online game whatever the format.

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## RecQuery

I think sometimes multiplayer is kludged onto a game to its detriment.

The problem with not having hard drives is that there's nothing out there with comparable data transfer rates which would slow down loading times even more and from what I understand they're already pretty bad on consoles as it is. Add to that, that not having local storage would remove lots of functionality, downloading games, patches, expansions etc. I think moving to an SSD Hard Drive might help with some heat problems though they have their own issues. Also keeping your console clean and well ventilated will help. Lots of people who treat their cars with kid gloves will think nothing about abusing technology and then complain when it doesn't work.

My last laptop was a Dell XPS, I lugged that thing around to various countries, it got knocked around, had water spilt on it etc and it lasted me for about 7 years with no need to replace any hardware it was in near pristine condition, eventually it died in that massive power surge Wick had. Yet I've had to replace screens and keyboards on laptops that are barely 6 months old. That just shows you how badly they must treat them.

On a side note most PC - desktop - hardware is designed now with constant use for 5 years in mind, that means CPU, GPU etc running continuously at top speed, never slowing down for those 5 years.

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## M R

> I used to be a pc gamer i and about 1 year later the cpu or motherboard goes faulty if ure a hard user.
> But these days its all about online gaming and if all ure mates are on xbox or ps3 its not much fun if u have pc i think thats the deciding factor in everthing


Sounds like you were unlucky,   your more likely to have a PSU or GPU failure than the motherboard or CPU packing in,   and if it packs in within a year then I would RMA it and getting replacement or a refund.  Expect 3 to 5 years on Mobo's and CPU's.............but at the end of the day,   every component in a PC is a consumable,   that's just the way it is,   but look after them and keep them cool and clean,   they will last a long time.

Totally agree with your comment about your mates on consoles,   thats pretty much the only reason i still have consoles............

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## EDDIE

The only thing that winds me up about ps3 and xbox why didnt think make the keyboard and mouse compatible with them for all the games to try and convert more pc gamers

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## RecQuery

> The only thing that winds me up about ps3 and xbox why didnt think make the keyboard and mouse compatible with them for all the games to try and convert more pc gamers


Sort of related: I actually use an application called Xpadder so I can use a gaming pad with games I think play better with one but don't have any support built into them or where I feel the built in support isn't as good.

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## Vistravi

From personal experience over the years, I've found that strategy games have always been the PCs strong point. Consoles have never really gained a strong hold on strategy games, this is not because of the lack of resources, It has been simply down to lack of a mouse! (Halo wars was a good example of this, if the theme had been something else other than Halo it would probably not have been popular)

Yes Xbox hardware is a good bit behind a carefully constructed PC gamer's system but the Xbox only has to run a simple O/S designed for only a handful of tasks versus a PC windows O/S that has to be flexible enough to do almost anything with the right software a bolt-ons. 

The major pitfall of the games console is the inability to CHOOSE what you prefer. With the PC you can use WASD and mouse aiming, a control pad or joystick. The PC also provides modding which consoles can't do. Just look at the GTA san andreas PC community, very few just put the disc in a PLAY they are in the system files tweaking or designing new graphics, it's the same with the fallout franchise. 

While I'm on this topic Xbox is a microsoft product, it SHOULD have the "flexibility" allowed by the PC........ yet....... I can't upgrade my 360???? Can't put larger than a 320GB HDD in???????? What do you mean it HAS to be a Western Digital drive?????? If I WANT to put a Hitachi 2TB in my Xbox I should be ABLE to!!!!

At least you can plug a keyboard in, that's something at least. 

From what I can gather in the markets is that all hardware powered by windows is gradually heading toward standardisation, Windows 8, Xbox O/S, windows mobile have started to look similar. Does this mean that products will be cross compatible? I think so, it has already started with Xbox "achievements" already be awarded to PC gamers and windows mobile users for certain titles. 

If Xbox would like to be top dog (no contest next time) or PS3 (I'm not saying the console is better but I do prefer the 360 personally) users need to be able to personalise things better. The modders spirit (as it were) needs to move to console. Yes it's easier to just put the disc in and "it works" with a console but I think some nice simple upgrades would be nice. Upgrade the disc size with out HDD cracking would be nice >:-(, maybe it would be nice to add a blu ray disc! (had xbox used a laptop drive and then released a driver through xbox live update it would have been far simpler) Perhaps standard laptop CPUs could have been used to give it upgrade potential. 

Why consoles are mod-free areas is a head-scratcher for me. Regardless of this I still cannot do without a console AND a PC (I'm resisting having an iMac because of it's inflexibility but we do hardware repairs on them so it would be nice to have a play) Forza 4 is holding my attention on the Xbox and Simcity 4 is STILL what I use the PC for mostly. I have been a part of the Simcity devotion forum for a couple of years now. I'm awaiting Simcity 5 next year, the glassbox engine looks very impressive but doubt a console could cut the grade for a game like that.

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## coffeegames

Lol, it seems that on this forum there are a lot of PC dudez, what can I say ... I'm one of them too

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## loganbiffy

I can't say I've ever really enjoyed PC gaming. I've always been a console nut from day 1. Master Systems, NES', Mega Drives, N64's you name it, I've had them.
I find console gaming a lot more enjoyable, especially multi-player with friends round.

PS3 for me hands down. I believe someone said earlier in the thread the PS3 was nearly 8 years old? It was released in the UK in March 2007, making it not even 6 yet. Plus they did say they were aiming for a 10-year lifespan.

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## phoenixtwin2

Strangely enough I have started to play pc gaming and i have to say it is very different i find myself preferring to play bioshock infinite on the pc rather then my console. but i dunno.

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## little red one

I have limited gametime and tend to just play halo 4, when i had a ps2 it was doom. After that died i built a pc and my fav game was unreal tournament 04 which was free multiplayer free patches ect then the power pack went and it fried the mb so its just the 360 for me now. 

the one big advantage of pc gaming.. not so many numpty kids, it drives me nuts tbh when you have some plonkers deliberately wrecking your gameplay and cod is no different.

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## JaswinderSingh

PC is superior than console. You have much collection of games as compared to console.

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## TJ77

PC all the way.  Most people have a PC anyway so instead of buying a console why not use that money to slap a massive graphics card and some fast RAM into the family PC to get it to run batter than a console?  You can buy pre-built gaming PC's online for the same money as a console now and they are still far ahead of either X box or Playstation.

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