Consoles VS PC Gamespot Graphics Comparison

Keep in mind that a GTX 280 is far more powerful than the GPU in the Xbox 360 and one of the highest end and expensive Nvidia offers.

If you got a PC GPU more comparable to the 360's, then the price difference will be smaller as well. Though if you did, console ports to the PC would usually have less performance due to most console ports on the PC being unoptimized for the hardware, an extreme example being GTA4. You'd probably need a GTX 280 to make it run at the same performance as the 360 version.

 

Hardly, a 280 GTX and a quad core will run GTA4 60 FPS maxed out at 1920 x 1200... that's a lot better than the 360 version It's also a lot more expensive... a basic quad and a 9800 gt is pretty accessible however and will still run much higher settings more smoothly than the 360. At minimum to run console settings, you'll need a core duo and 8800 gt; a 1-2 year old common and inexpensive rig. Normally that's a very good rig even for crysis, but R* fudged up the port..

And if you're going to compare console to pc, you need to set the same resolution, same AA, same settings, on the same screen, let's say a large 1080p lcd hdtv. The ps3 or 360 are limited to 720p (or less), and performance and visual quality is limited by their older GPUs. For a PC the sky's the limit, but even if we're being reasonable with say, an e8400 duo and a 8800 gt, it'll still blow the consoles out the water having 1080p natively accessible and higher settings, AA, and AF without dipping FPS, probably much higher. You can even sit in the couch with a 360 controller and get owned by the mouse users online ~_~

 

i would actually say the GTX 280 is 4 times faster thats not much of a comparison how about you look at the price of an nvidia 8800 instead? The 8800 is still 2 times faster then a 360 as well

 

a GTX280 is overkill imo. so are many of the other cards but if you can afford it why not?

 

Everyone needs to factor the versatility of the PC into play. A good PC that would be able to run a port like GTA 4 as well or even better than consoles costs a MERE $800 or so. (including a monitor and peripherals)

OMG BUT PS3 and 360 CHEAPER ZOMGZOMGZOMG.

Well, let's take a mean console price at about $400. (including controllers, wireless adapters, etc.) So if you bought a console and computer for $800, you'd need to limit your computer budget to $400.

$400. It's doable, but power users like me won't be caught dead with a $400 computer. The computer won't be bad, but since I need a very good computer regardless, I wouldn't go get a $400 computer and a $400 console.

Think about the average console fanboy. Limited knowledge in tech (the only knowledge they have is the knowledge that helps their console one-up the other) and most likely one of those people who goes out and buys an $800 desktop with specs inferior to that $400 computer. They're the ones who stick their noses up in the air and talk about how expensive computers are, and how slowly they run.

Keep in mind, I still respect the console. The people who like the console and get by with a cheap computer have my respect.

 

Or you could have compared the four year old console to a card that's not bleeding edge...
The GTX 280 is a card made for people that NEED to have an enthusiast's level of performance and are willing to pay for it. Therefore, an argument to compare a consumer level product should be comparing videocards that are considered to be made for the average consumer.

For kicks, an arcade version of a 360 is 200$ and lets work our way up (all links are to newegg):

9600 GT - 95$ (I'll be generous and say its the same level as a console)

8800 GTS - 90$ (More powerful than console already)

9800 GT - 125$ (Substantially more powerful)

GTX 260 - 200$ (Not even comparable...)

Yes, I think you need to go on

and just FYI, I am still an avid supporter of the PS2, I've put more time into that this past month than all computer games combined (Curse you Atlus for making ridiculously addicting games). So I do love consoles and will probably pick up a PS3 in the future (for Persona 5)!

edit: sorry Chaz, back on topic!

 

Let's not get off-topic and turn this into a price war. That will end up getting this thread closed.

 

LOL I have a 360/PS3/Wii/ and my Sager and XPS with the GTX 280. Stop this console vs. pc BS. I love my 360 for all my friends have one and we play multiplayer a lot. I love my PS3 because it is a multimedia powerhouse. I love the Wii cause all my chick friends thinks its cute lol. I love my Sager because I can play the same games that the consoles can at better image quality and speed on a plane!(I just put Deadspace in and it looks amazing) And I love my XPS because I can run everything completely maxed out and only have slight FPS drop on Crysis of course.

Fanboys need to shut up.

Remember you can mod and tweak most PC games a lot and thats enough for the premium if you are a game enthusiast.

Oh and you can do a lot of crap with a PC. So stop saying you might as well get a console. Look at it this way. My friend just bought a $600 laptop. He also has a $350 X360. So I was at Best Buy yesterday and saw you can get a Asus G50VT for $900-$1000. That computer can match the X360 and out compute his HP laptop. But guess what he is not into PC games as much as me so he does not need the Asus. But he spent as much as someone buying the Asus which would have been more practical in the PC gamers interest.

Do you guys understand? Different strokes for different folks.

 

Very well said, commodore.

 

I have noticed that for many fanboys, they are fanboys of a certain game console, computer brand, operation system, etc. because they only own that one product and not its competitors and "alliegances" can also change once they switch products. When you own two or more of the competition, you become less of a fanboy.

I was a PS3 fanboy since I owned the previous two Playstation systems but ironically, it was revoked after my short-lived PS3's Blu-Ray drive died and I heard so many others having that issue and their newer models lacking the functionality of the older ones (I've been upset at Sony for some other things as well). I have been more of a fanboy of Microsoft now and their Xbox 360 when before I swore I would never buy one when I was a Sony fanboy. I think I will always be a PC gaming fanboy however and want to sell my 360 now to finance a gaming PC.

Since you pretty much own all the current gaming systems, its easy for you not to be a fanboy and what goes on in our interesting minds.

 

I think the main point to consider is viability not price.

I have had almost every console since Atari and all of them in there old age have now been put away and collect dust. Every game and accessory I ever bought for them is now used for nothing.

PC however all my games and accesoires are still good and usable. Plus infact I can play all my old Atari/NES/SNES/Genisis/ECT games on my PC via emulation so it was the "one system to rule them all" lol.

Now point is that PC seems to hold its value more, I am so tired of poring money into consoles and games to have them obsolete so shortly. $50 for each game adds up fast and then in a week its done for and never opened again. The same game on PC many times has mods & expansions that take it 10x further.

Next case is the fact that I think almost anybody these days is going to own a computer. For school, for internet, for movies, for music, for word processing, for work. I dont know what your reason is but you have one for one reason or another. If you already have that initial cost out of the way, your only taking the cost to upgrade to a "gaming" machine if your really wanting a fair price comparison against a console.

and there lies the true beauty of the situation. A console is only really good for gaming, run out of games, run out of money, or what ever and its about useless to you. The computer however has much more worth allowing you to be on these forums, do research, work, photoshop, video editing, ect.

If you look at it from that angle I think the PC is a much more liable solution. Consoles have there reasons for existence and there goals. Great for kids, great to take to a friends house for fun or a party, but if I had to pick just one it would be a computer for sure.

If you want to compare just the topic of graphics, PC almost always wins. Because it has higher resolution options, and usually higher or more advanced forms of filtering. Then of course as I previously mentioned the mods. Games like Oblivion or Fallout 3 are just chalk full of high res texture upgrades or new model choices that the console will never have.

Also I tell you what is really awesome, using 3 monitors for surround gaming. Being in the game via surround is an experience that no console could ever match...

On that note I must say I really did/do like my Wii. It did something different it was about innovation and fun and not just graphics. Just that many of the games are so pointless or dont really make good use of the controls. There are some really great gems here and there though. Mario Kart Wii has been calling to me lately to see if I can still place top 3 in every online race

 

Great points Vicious and id depth like all of your posts

i think you are right about the computer thing everyone has to have one and eventually everyone WILL have one even if it is just a netbook because they keep getting more cheaper and more expensive if you need the power

Also lots of university's/colleges now depend heavily on notebooks and a majority of them now you get your lectures from on a computer that being said i will always buy new consoles when they come out i understand the pricing plus the software adds up more and more after time but there will always be these amazing exclusives that will make you pony up the extra money just for the system.

for Example for PS3 little big planet,uncharted,ratchet and clank, metal gear solid,gran turismo and resistance are pretty much enough reasons to buy a system

For Xbox 360 Gears Of War, Forza/project gotham, ...........is also enough i guess

For nintendo wii there Super smash Bros, Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3, Mario Kart, Zelda, No More Heroes, Animal Crossing, and Zach and Wiki are enough to buy a wii

Bottom line both consoles and PC's are great but consoles will always have reasons for the consumer to come back the PC does as well but its the "want" part of society that will make consoles always be up there

 

I like pc gaming more because it allows me to do much more over a console, not just graphics wise but versitlity as well. I play alot of mass multiplayer games and the thing that the 360 fails compared to the console is voice chat.

The quality of ventrilo is way better compared to xbox live chat. I can stream music, have more then 8 people in 1 conversation along with many other features.

The other thing i dont like is, with the 360 you have to pay for xbox live. Lets take mmo games out of the picture since there arent any for xbox/ps2-3 unless you want to count ffxi.

Aslong as i have internet i can play all my multi-player games online without any additional cost.

Surely it seems like im a PC fanboy but alas i am not. I do usually prefer my pc over my 360 or ps2 when it comes to titles that are multi-platform, but i do believe that everything has its place.

There are titles only on the playstation that i love. the 360 i can honestly say i only have it because my friends have it and forced me into buying it so we can play games together.

But if you want to take it up a level (console vs pc) i think that pc's are great because you get amazing performance but the flaw is something i havent seen anyone mention. You cant have multiple people playing one computer.

Consoles are amazing for partys (dont say lan party) Ive spent hours playing ssb, mario kart, mario party etc etc. Consoles are great for partys because it gives non hardcore gamers some comfort with a controller. Less buttons, not as complicated.

The last thing i can think of off the top of my head on why i will always own a console.

2-d fighters.

PS. I still love tinkering with my computer doesnt mean i wont tinker with a 360 or ps3 though

 

LOL 3 Straight long posts dont see that everyday eh?

 

lol true but now im curious, why does your sig say black on black but you have a white one? lol

 

lol thats because that picture is a stock pic that isn't my pic i was too lazy to take a pic of my own then i would have had to resize it that's why i stated Black on Black so people would know that that is what my M looks like only black

 

I agree with all of you. Especially that PC gaming is better, but only if the game is ported/coded correctly, you have powerful hardware components, and surround sound peripherals.

 

Yeah I guess

You named most of the games I have too, so those are the good titles. However no longer in the future will I buy a console for just a few games. I have done this in the past and it ends up waisting money or making me feel bad.

I pretty much got an Xbox for Ninja Gaiden, I originally got the SNES for Final Fantasy 3 (SNES was way worth it though) when consols & games were cheap it was not so bad but now when they cost $300+ for the console it has to be a big commitment and if you end up with only a handfull of games with your console, divide it out and your paying a lot just for those games.

Wii's great games that I own.

Zelda Twilight Princess

Super Smash Bros Brawl

Mario Kart Wii

No More Heroes

Metroid Prime 3

Mario Galaxy

Wii Sports

Also I think if you have friends over often some of the party games like raving rabids would be a great hit, or mario party.

However of all those games Mario Kart is the only one making me want to turn the console on because of its seamless and great free online multiplayer. I can turn it on and have a match against real people. So it has great replay value. SSBB would have been just as great but last time I played it online it was not working well. Lag in many matches and very long wait times to get into a match. Also lacking match options. I hope it has been fixed by now.

The rest of them were GREAT games first time through but do not have much in the way of replay. Mario Galaxy i probably good enough for another play through infact I have a new game as Luigi

 

another typical pc vs console..

there are reasons for both, we obv know which has better graphics though

 

@ Erokitsune yes you can have multiple people play on 1 computer. ive got two gamepads and play nba 09 and nba 2k9 with my brother. lol thats my only good example for now, since we've got a home lan all the shooters are played on multiple comps. haha

 

LMAO i guess we are alike eh? I also have all the games i named but they are the best that you can get for the wii.

Yeah i love playing mario party with friends THOUGH i have to say i love Mario Kart online it is really great i can play that all day i havent recently though

man SSMB that Lag SUCKS! Man i remember i played months after online just to see if the lag from when the game was released was gone and it was still there.

i dont know if its been fixed i may check that one up soon as well

Nintendo needs to work on there online services though i wanna see more chatting/headset support

the next game i wanna try out is the Okami remake for Wii i missed out on that and i heard it really is an amazing adventure

 

OMG I forgot all about Okami!!! Its GREAT actually better than Zelda or any other similar game. Makes GREAT use of the wiimote.

You must get Okami you wont regret it. I got it used on ebay for like $20

Also if you don have it yet and you have a HDTV get some component cables for the Wii.

 

i can same the same thing with my roms and multiple 360 controllers hooked up LOL

 

To sum up what I feel by another one of the few remarks that hit the nail on the head:

 

what about having a console+notebook setup?Cos it is what i plan to do...

 

Better then Zelda eh? Then i REALLY have to check it out that sounds great

i do have a samsung touch of color series 6 40" LCD and i love it! Those component cables they actually work? I thought that was all just a gimick they are made by nyko right?

 

Instead of having a console versus pc debate -- because its been beaten to death -- lets discuss the overall best console system to date. Not just graphics, but they are a part, but innovation, titles, controllers, etc. My all-time favorite conole was the playstation 1 or PSX. SO many titles, the first console to make cd media accesible, Jaguar failed, and had the best titles ever-- FFxii, tomb raider,madden, metal gear series, twisted metal series, tekken series, street fighter series, gran turismo series. To name a few, then i would say SNES a close second followed by Sega genisis,then PS2,n64.

 

I would have to say SNES...

Too many titles to count way more than playstation, and many more original classics. RPG's have never been the same since SNES days.

Saturn was great too if you imported games from Japan.

@Red yeah component is a higher quality connection that supports HD resolutions. The Wii can only go to 480P so its sort of a waist but in general the quality is better, Svideo and Composite are very low on the performance/quality scale and I think your in 480I mode with composite. Also in general the component inputs on a tv are better than the composite esp a HDTV.

 

PSX right around 1998 was the golden age of gaming, IMO

 

SNES imho, like vicious said, RPGs arent what they use to be. Ive probably spent more time on my SNES then any other console ive owned...to this day i still play SNES roms lol.

Following that i'd have to say the ps2 is runner up for me. third place...n64 followed by xbox360/ps3 generation.

The dream cast was ahead of its time in my opinion. Great games on it though.

I did own a sega but all i really liked on it were the sonic games.

 

Guys, stay on-topic in this thread please. Thank you.

 

OK chazio

Thanks vicious for the advice. Im gonna pick up a component cable

 

Playing games for graphics is like hiring hookers for conversation.. There's no point.

Honestly people... I'm a PC gamer at heart but I think consoles are taking the cake when it comes to gaming. The PC fills a niche market nowdays and that's it (MMOs, RTS, FPS is debatable).

 

lol......well you could have a conversation while....nm

ANYWAY

To see a niche market is a little unfair MMO games are not niche in any shape way or form there are like 20 million WoW players registered i think more then that

Plus games like Guild Wars and Warhammer online my point is basically there are tons of players playing MMO's and that doesnt include things like the counter strike/ RTS community i maybe wrong in this assement i just feel that PC gives you ALOT more longevity

 

a very beautiful and playable looking hooker, seriously i thought the same too, high graphics are overrated, but when i got a kickass video card and i played everything on high its just much more enjoyable, its like playing through a movie at a steady pace, seriously bioshock and assassins creed on the PC on MAx will make you understand

the real question is why not play on great graphics? im not against consoles but PCs give you way better control to make it look way better.
great gameplay+ great graphics = awesome game