Do you guys think the pc is better than xbox 360?

HOpefully this wont start a flamewar since this is a pro pc/laptop site however. everyone please only state general facts minus the opinion. for example dont put you can put way more stuff on pc. put the pc has a larger hardrive. thank you. this is for a disscussion with my 360 roomate ^^. ill let you guys list facts while i'm away.

 

A PC is a lot more productive than an XBOX. Purely for gaming however, an XBOX offers much better value for money. But only in gaming.

 

Yeah, you will find however you can game just as well on the technologies out these days for PC, sure there like hell'a lot more then an Xbox, but I'd say they were also a lot more intense for gaming, especially since you have a mouse v set sensitivities on a controller.

And laptops, mobility, its great to have, I've not touched my Xbox in about six months after buying a decent laptop, and I don't want to go back!

 

Yes.

(10-characters).

 

A PS3 would be of more value than the XBOX now that both will be priced at $299 and that the PS3 would run BlueRays too.
Blue-rays are the next DVDs, not only for movies but also double as storage media.

I think best option for portability + gaming facilities is a high end Laptop (i know u did not ask about portability, but still)
Connect the LT to a monitor and u have a desktop

 

That is not entirely true. You can also steam movies, music and pitures from your PC, i know that it requires a PC to work but you can still do that. Now you can also stream Netflix. Really the only thing it is missing is a browser which is not necessary for a consloe IMO.

 

The advantage of a 360 or other system is that the hardware does not change, so programmers can always optimize their games for the hardware...no worries about what graphics card or CPU the player will have, so the game always plays the same. But the trade off is that the hardware is a limit.

On a computer, gamers can have hardware that ranges from integrated graphics and a cheap dual core (leaving out the even lower powered netbooks and Mac Air clones) to fast quad core, so what your game looks like is determined by your hardware. That works well if you have a good gaming rig, but not so well if you have an entertainment laptop and you try playing high-end games. A good gaming laptop is better than an X Box, but a lower spec laptop or a business machine is worse for gaming.

My main beef with consoles is that games are often vendor or console specific, so my wife needs a new Nintendo about every second or third Zelda game. Final Fantasy has been back and forth with Nintendo and Playstation hardware, with both mobile and console games, so I would need to keep 6-8 machines to play the entire series (but some are getting ported to other hardware), while my laptop now could easily handle any of the games if they were either ported for Windows or run in an emulator. PC games allow you to keep upgrading hardware, but still play all of your titles on one piece of equipment.

 

I have an Xbox360 and used to play GTA IV and Saints Row 2 on it. Since buying my new NP8662 gaming laptop, I haven't used my Xbox360 at all.

I used to think that GTA IV ran well and looked good on my Xbox360 until I played it on my laptop.

Also, I always disliked the loud noise of my Xbox360 CD spinning / fans. In comparison my laptop is very quiet and I don't even need to use annoying CD's (Steam).

PC / laptop gaming gives you more flexibility, you can chose your control methods, you can use mods to prolong or improve the gaming experience and you have the option of changing settings to increase graphical quality and performance.

Some of my favourite games are RTS genres like Command & Conquer, Red Alert 2 etc and only a keyboard / Mouse gives you the accuracy you need.

Console gaming is good if you have a tight budget but the technology will always be a step behind.

 

In term of gaming, XBOX 360 beats a PC about "9 streets length".
If you prefer gaming, XBOX 360 FTW!
If you prefer everything(not super crazy gaming), PC FTW!
If you prefer gaming + everything, buy both of them FTW!

 

Some explanations about your points of view would be helpful

 

Isn't that XBOX 360 designed for gaming?

 

I like both the XBox and PC for gaming. However, as for whether the PC is better? Yes.

PCs can easily be upgraded to take advantage of a new game's graphics and/or performance enhancements. Whereas that same game will often need to be 'downscaled' to perform similarily on the 360.

PC games are generally $10~$15 less than it's XBox counterpart. So if the same game for both systems is sitting on the store shelf I usually take a minute to decide if the game is more suited for lounging (i.e. couch) gameplay or controls/depth of game would be better for PC.

In summary: PC > XBox

 

Here's a point to think about, games are frequently DUMBED DOWN, and lose functionality, mainly to make it easier to port to console. You actually lose gaming expierience just because certain features are not fesable with the xbox. For example several times there have been games in which their predecessors or just because of their nature, should have been able to support large 64 player battles and whatnot, but they remove that in favor making it more functional with the 360. Not to mention, while many have differing opinions on what they LIKE better as far as keyboard/mouse vs. controler...it's hard to honestly say that a keyboard and mouse isn't more acurate than the latter. For casual gaming a 360 is perfect though, it's cheap and does just that, but if you're looking for pure gaming potential, than the xbox doesn't hold up.

 

TELL THAT TO ALIENWARE!

No but seriously, its quite unexplainable how I got unexplainably unhooked from my xbox after buying a laptop, i dont know what it was really, but in some cases i've seen better quality off games on laptop then xbox, and i've had several friends agree also.

We have Crysis ^^ lol.

Laptops these days are mobile games consoles/business books, anything, the whole picture just expands drastically.

 

Sorry for my stupidness. LOL.
ALIENWARE = MY DREAM LAPTOP

 

I have an XBox 360, and while it's a great machine, I would frankly never actually pay money for one. (I got mine for free from some Live Search promotion.) It used to be a credble argument that consoles made sense for a low-budget gamer; i.e., buy a console and a bottom-end PC and you get both decent gaming horsepower and productivity for a fraction of the price. But that was when even "mid-high-end" GPUs and CPUs both cost $300-$400. Now you can build a PC that is worlds better than either the 360 or the PS3 for no more than $750, so it's really not credible to argue that a console + PC makes any sense, unless you really, really love Halo or just have to know what's going to happen next in Hideo Kajimi's exploration of how much terrible writing people will put up with in video game cutscenes.

 

Right now, a PC is so much better because the hardware in the 360 has gotten so outdated

 

If you already have a gaming pc the only system worth getting in my opinion is a WII, a pc can play pretty much anything thats good on the ps3/360(Till FF XIII comes out), but every good game on the wii is exclusive...+ the remote

 

The best combination for this generation is a gaming PC + PS3.
Most of the X360 exclusive games are also avalible on PC, most of the Wii titles are shovelware.

As for topic - Yes, a PC is better than Xbox360 console.

 

+1 on this.

360 hardware is basically handicapped in comparison to PC hardware

 

Agreed, but there's a lot of money in making games for the 360 or at least able to port them to the 360, so we are getting handicapped games on top of it.

 

I think the next gen consoles need to have upgradeable graphics cards X)

 

Rather than just emphasizing on the graphics/hardware, shouldn't the availability as well as the range of games available for each platform be taken into account?

Xbox 360 is indeed inferior to the PC in terms of hardware comparison, but it wins out as a gaming device because of the massive amount of games available for it.

Besides, most games on the PC are generally ports or are available on the console. One might argue that the graphics are superior on the PC, and it certainly is true, but that doesn't derive the gamer from having fun, and unless you nit pick, the graphics on most multi platform games don't really differ that much.

I really like PC gaming, but to be fair, the games available for the PC just isn't comparable to the multitude of games available on the consoles. Shooters are generally the genre of games that populate the PC gaming industry but I'd like to see more variety, RPGs, to be precise.

 

Curious... does anyone know the equivalent of the mobile graphics processing card to an XBOX 360 video card??

 

I believe the reason they don't have them now and probably won't have them in the future is because it would lead to compatibility problems where certain games couldn't be played on a system because of an non-upgraded graphics card. It is much easier for companies to release new versions of a console because it reduces that confusion and not every console owner is tech savvy enough to know how to replace the graphics card or to even tell the difference between models of them. That's why we have PCs.

More on topic though, PC is a lot better in my opinion. I feel as though consoles are just another way to make money, they target a different audience to that which PCs do. PC gaming, modding etc. is more of a passion for people, which is reflected in this forum and many others. Consoles are a way for people who are not tech savvy enough to be interested or own a gaming PC, I don't mean that exclusively though as I do know a fair few PC gamers who use consoles. With this all said consoles do have some good features though, they bring a bigger audience to gaming, and at a lower price, and their online play is quite fantastic especially Xbox Live.

 

Also, don't forget that PC multiplayer gaming is free. When I switched from a PS2 to an Xbox 360, that was the thing that pissed me off the most- having to shell out $50 a year just to play games that I already shelled another $60 out for in the first place!

 

Oh yes! Very good point.

 

Looked it up on google and found this interesting article
LINK
On max an XBOX360 GPU runs at 500MHz and draws less than 35 WATTS of power.

 

I own both a PC and a 360 (guess I missed out on the 'optimal' configuration for this generation by choosing a 360 over a PS3)...they do completely different things for me...

Comparing hardware (and I'll use a laptop for the PCs which drives price up and performance slightly down)...

360
CPU (GFLOPS) 115.2 (theoretical)
GPU (GFLOPS) 240
(Gtexels/sec) 8
HDD (GB) 120 (official)
Optical Who cares?
Price (USD) 250-300

Laptop (PC)
CPU (GFLOPS) 20-50
GPU (GFLOPS) 360-600
(Gtexels/sec) ?? - ~45
HDD (GB) 320-1000 (and then there's SSD drives at a price)
Price (USD) 1500-3000

Value isn't the argument you're pursuing, and value is highly subjective.

Objectively, I would say the 360 has an excellent processor that game designers can maximize due to a standard platform.

On the other hand, even older generation laptop GPUs can keep up with the ATI-based GPU in the 360.

What's more important for gaming? CPU or GPU? I would suggest at this time in game development, GPU has become the more important processor for the visuals that developers are trying to provide us. (Personally, I wish they would work on the AI more.)

In the end, if a game is available for both the PC (laptop) and the 360 (which everyone suggests is fairly common place), I purchase it for my laptop. My laptop is portable with built in display, audio and control functions, and even with all that built-in, my laptop still weighs about the same as a 360 (8 lbs vs 7.7 lbs) and is a lot less awkward to carry around. Games are usually 10USD cheaper than the 360. Finally, the PC has a huge game library, and with no-fuss emulators quickly expands even more.

The advantage to the 360 is incredibly easy on-line gaming (at a price) with auto-updates of all your software. Steam helps the PC in this direction, but lots of people have lots of objections to Steam. And (better or worse) no tweaking required to play games.

 

All my favorite games are on the PC/PS2. I am quite happy with the titles released on the PC and have yet to see a console exclusive title that I want (when Persona 5 comes out I may have to buy a PS3 though ). Not to mention the PC dominates the MMORPG market.

Most of the console games that have come out this generation honestly pale in comparison to older games. They are generally dumbed down, easier, forgiving, etc.

True, this may sell more and appease the casual gamer, but its almost insulting to gamers that grew up with games that had character/story and required thought rather than just rushing through a checkpoint over and over again.

I mean c'mon, a Rainbow 6 game with regenerating health?! A Resident Evil where you can just run and gun?! (These games were still fun, just... kind of sad in a way) Give me a break.

 

Don't know if this point was brought up, but aiming anything in PC is so much better than with a controller, point and click, boom, so much faster and more fluid than a controller.

 

Definitely, mouse and keyboard blow away controllers. However, there is one downside to using a mouse and keyboard (or advantage to using a controller)- if you're not sitting right at your desk while playing, sometimes a controller is better, since it's kind of a pain to use a mouse and keyboard when you're laying on a bed, or lounging on a chair or couch.

 

A mouse is better for aiming , but a keyboard is a nightmare to use compare to a game controller.

 

If you ask a computer forum, your answer will be obvious.

I can do either or, though I admit, I do prefer controllers as I am more of a console gamer than PC gamer.

 

The original question is too broad. Are we talking about price, hardware specifications, available games, gaming experience, control devices, or something else? There's a different answer for every aspect of comparison between the PC and 360 as gaming systems. I've argued both in favor and opposition to both systems depending on one's gaming needs and expectations.

 

I was surprised to see someone saying the variety of games available on console's is better! Because it quite blatantly isn't! Pc games are easily developed and there are an almost unlimited array of them. Just take a browse on steam some time, and that's only a fraction of them. As for kboard and mouse Vs controller, sometimes one or the other is more suited, with a Pc you can use either very easily, on console's you only have one option. And if you just plug your Pc or lappy into your Tv you can enjoy couch gaming. Conclusion= Pc win's hands down!

 

Having said that it does depend on the gamer's need's and budget largely. For example my little sister has a Wii, because a £1000+ gaming laptop or Pc would probably not be suited. Although she may disagree!

 

Well an XBox is an outdated piece of hardware right now.
its GPU is roughly an nvidia 7800 with a 128-bit memory interface.

This doesn't mean it cannot play games well, but that games have to be lowered in detail and scope to accomodate the inferior hardware.

Other than really liking the game selection the Xbox offers or perhaps being a little light on the know-how, time, or funds to set up a decent PC, I'd say the XBox is pretty much obsolete.

 

But usually you don't notice the inferior hardware because every game it can play was written for that hardware. I think people get frustrated by high-end computer games because of reading about the demands that Crysis or the newest game put on a system.

It occurred to me that perhaps console games are the equivalent of McDonalds. It will not be the best hamburger you ever had, but its the same every time you order, and you know exactly what to expect. PC gaming is like eating in a restaurant. Most of them make a hamburger, but some offer just one, and some offer lots. Some will taste really good, a few will be horrible, and most will be about average, but there is a variety to fit every taste.

 

Or you could just not eat hamburgers because they aren't very healthy for you .

 

+Rep for that. Pure awesomeness.

 

Pc! Pc! Pc! Pc! All The Way...

No Xbox! No Xbox! No Xbox!

Maybe Ps3 Slim Yes! Maybe Slim Ps3 Yes! Maybe Ps3 Slim Yes!

 

i much perfer my laptop over my 360.

pc pros:
more patches and mods usually
larger selection of games
better interface (mouse/keyboard)
versital (can do more than game)
portable

pc cons:
games arent optimised for your system
no splitscreen (minus left 4 dead)

possible pc pros:
if you got a high end system games will look much, much better.

 

Not to mention, content (like additional maps) are freeeeeee for pc and not for consoles

 

Pc is a better system

If you just wanna play games PC can play games better than the 360

If you are on a budget and you just wanna play games then the 360 is the better buy

 

That may be so but don't forget that on the PC, we are given the choice. I play many games on my PC with the mouse and keyboard but also with a wireless Xbox360 controller if I want a bit more freedom or am not sitting directly near my gaming laptop. On the consoles you are stuck with the controller with no other option.

 

Case in point:

Just got back from LGS (local game shop) today...

Batman Arkham Asylum

XBox $69.99 (CDN) vs. PC $49.99 (CDN)

You decide.

 

Iam loving the hamburger analogy.

 

I like the xbox for gaming (dont like the PS3 controller) and a nice small laptop to carry around.

 

Another point to add: Usually if the game is half decent, there is a good modding community out there which often develops some really nice mods that can really extend the lifespan of some games.

For consoles, you can only get the "official" DLC and then you have to pay for them....