360 Graphics

Agreed.

I used to do console gaming just because I couldn't afford a suitable gaming rig when I was younger.

 

I can't wait for the day that consoles and PC are the same thing. Or maybe a central Mainframe PC with workstations connected to the TV that serves as a console and a monitor and keyboard/mouse where your PC would be.

 

It's a bit of a difficult comparison in my experience, particularly because many games are just better optimized for one platform than another (and many are obviously multi-platform these days).

I'm sure the 8800 cards (the desktop versions at least) coupled with a dual core CPU and 2 GB RAM will beat an XBox 360 in most if not all cases and at higher resolutions (assuming a game that is well optimized on both platforms).
On the other hand I dare any 8700 GT card to try to pull off something like Assassin's Creed looking as stunning and fluid as it does on a 360 (supposedly it's not nearly as fluid on the PS3 though, with occasionally faltering framerates) - playing at the same resolution (720p, I'm quite certain it only scales up to 1080p).

Even Oblivion is overall running somewhat better on my 360 than it did on my old desktop PC (Core 2 Duo E6600, 2 GB RAM, Geforce 7900 GTO). The 360 does have some framerate slowdowns, but if I cranked up particularly the grass draw distance on my PC it would often be even worse in dense forest areas.

I've just been playing Mass Effect on the 30 for the last week, and it's disappointingly stuttering in many areas (otherwise a fantastic game though) - even in places and situations where it really doesn't look like there's any overwhelming reason for these slowdowns.
Surely this must be down to lacking optimization rather than lack of raw processing power - which, if I've heard correctly, seems to be a bit of a general problem with the Unreal Engine 3 on the 360.

 

My moded N64 will put all your 360's and Laptops to shame

 

My modded Atari would put your N64 to shame.

 

In terms of hardware the 360 is roughly equivalent to the 8700GT. But, you also have to take into account which system the game being developed is optimized for. For example Dirt will run way better on the 360 compared to an 8700GT trying to run the PC port. But, TF2 will run much better on the 8700GT than it will on the console. In terms of price vs performance ratio the console will hold that title for at least another year, you can't compete with a $400 entertainment system (don't include TV/speakers everyone wealthy enough to afford a console has a TV). Although laptops are more expensive they do have the option of portability, and some may prefer a mouse and keyboard when it comes to gaming. So basically PCs have the better hardware (i.e. quad crossfire hd3870s) but it will come at a cost, consoles have the better price/performance ratio as of now but not for too much longer.

About the games between consoles and PCs there are exclusives in each case but I believe the PC definitely has the advantage in choice of games. For example earlier xps1330 (the user ) mentioned that the xbox360 has Mass Effect, Assasins Creed, and Halo 3...all of which will be on the PC within 1.5 years (Assasins Creed PC early Q1 '08). On the otherhand PC games like all of Blizzard's collection, LOTRO, Hellgate: London, Crysis, Everquest, Supreme Commander, Company of Heroes, Heroes of Might and Magic, Age of Empires, Neverwinter Nights, World in Conflict...should I go into games that DIDNT come out in the past year (other than blizzards stuff)? Point proven.

 

Here's a good example of lack of PC optimization:
Madden 08.... No matter how good your computer is it will NEVER look as good as the {360,PS3}.... And would Doom 3 run good on my computer (High) ? How urgent is the extra 1Gb RAM ? And stock M170 is there 2x512Mb or 1x1Gb ?

 

Madden 08 for the PC is a port of the old generation of Madden games (PS2 and XBOX). That's why it's not going to match up.

 

Ohh, How about NFS HP2...