Why do people play games on computers?

UT3 is the only game I can think of

 

Same here... so thats one game with mods VS a few thousand

 

you can mod cars in need fo speedz

 

I have a 360...love playing Halo series with my son or Gears of War with my friend on the other side of the United States or Guitar Hero: World Tour with my local friends...

I have a PS2...love playing Ratchet and Clank with my son or Karaoke Revolution with my wife (yes, I sing...she sings better) or Buzz! with my local friends...

I have a Gamecube...love playing Mario Soccer or Tennis or Baseball with my son or my local friends...it still hasn't got old...gameplay is quick to learn but has some depth...and smack talking is more than half the fun...

I have a PSP...*scratching head*...ummm, emulators? It seemed like a good idea at the time...

BUT...I play games on my PC because I pick up my 17" laptop that weighs about 9 lbs, and all of the games in my signature go with me...it is a huge library of games that are all playable with no optical media...turn on computer, click on shortcut (some games require me to plug in the USB HDD)...no console ever made can match the PC's catalogue...and with some minor/extensive tweaking, all the games are playable (no D3D support with nVidia 7-series on Crimson Skies...*sigh*...some day, someone smarter than me will fix it...I just periodically browse the nVidia forum for the user-made solution...power of 2 texture blah blah blah)...and then there are the electronic books and encyclopedias...the mp3 collection...the internet browsing with a full keyboard...but those things really don't have much to do with gaming...they're just pluses to a portable entertainment system...going to the in-laws? Grab the laptop and I can ignore them for days...weeks if we get stuck there during a blizzard...

Now, why play games on a desktop? I'm not sure...I don't...some fairly compelling reasons have been given...

 

Mouse & Keyboard for FPS and RTS...

Controller & Couch for everything else...

Some people say resolution ("1080p") and graphics (high quality textures and shadows)... but I would rather play NBA 2k11 or Borderlands for instance, with more people, friends and family on PSN, or Xbox Live. If everyone was on PC for multiplayer... then we'd be talking.

 

I have owned quite a few PCs and consoles. I game primarily on PC, because I want the best from games. This just isn't possible on consoles.

Of the recent consoles I own:

PS2 - I bought for Shadow of The Colossus, yes, I bought it for one game... and it was worth every penny.
Wii - Lots of fun different controls, not so many great games though.
XBox 360 - Re-built it from a RRoD FAILBox, had more fun fixing it, than I ever did using it. I used it for two days after the initial re-build, gave it away last April, the worst $40 I ever spent.
PS3 - Love it, play Heavy Rain, God of War I, II and III, Little Big Planet with the wife, glad she bought it for me.
PSP - Please, have you played Chains of Olympus? Amazing, enjoy some of the retro games on there as well. Strangely enough Force Unleashed is one of the best versions I have played (I have played all) aside from the superior PC version.

Though I use consoles, if there is even a rumor of a PC version there is no way I buy the more expensive console game. Look at Red Dead Redemption (still just a rumor), and Darksiders. There is a place for all systems (a garbage bin for FAILBox), but if you want the best PC is where it is.

 

This is like asking, "Why do people play games on consoles?", when they can have the advantage with a mouse and KB instead. Some games req a controller, like racing games and some action ones too.Shooters are perfect on pc.

pLus I be m0dDin tHem GameZ on mE Pc sYsTemz..lEtz sEE tHem C0nsOlE To that!
I haz thAatz Ps3z N some Handhelderz t00, forz gaMinGz tooZ

 

With the laptop in my sig, I play my PS2 and Game Cube games at full speed at native resolution with all of the inherent advantages that an emulator brings with it (save states, cheats etc). There is also a Psp emulator but it is still pretty slow. I own about 3 -4 Psps so still play those. It is different since you play those with others but it still shows just how much gaming a laptop can cover. This is the reason I am so glad Consoles have been around for years ironically.

 

Because most of the time I want to play the real game and not the dumbed-down version.

The only game I play on my console is Madden11, and frankly this is because you do so to sit down with friends with beers.

Console gaming is like drag racing with a prius... sure its fun, but you know you don't stand a snowball's chance in hell against the real thing.

 

You see, what people don't get in these Console VS PC topics is that control methods don't really matter. Prefer to play with a gamepad instead of keyboard and mouse? Ok. Just buy a USB gamepad. Get it? On the PC you have the freedom to play whichever way you want. All you need is a little patience understanding how to install a game and/or how to hook up your HDTV to your PC.

 

another reason is for non-adults it's often easier to convince your parents to get you a new PC than a gaming console that can "only waste you time" quoted from all the parents out there. how do you think i got this laptop? my grandpa bought it for me when i was about to go to college, would he have bought a xbox360 if i asked? i think not.

 

The op really struck a nerve on you guys. Six pages of the same few reasons constantly being repeated.

I think everyone gets the point...

 

this is a COMPUTER forum, and the GAMING subforum - it's going to be an obvious one sided bias...

the only games that i enjoy on consoles anymore are nintendo [new] classics and sports games. i love PES 2010

 

not always my parents are so afaraid of technology that i kept asking for a medium grade computer and they kept answering it was useless and evil waste of time

i got my own laptop by my own mean an i got it becaus hell playing a RTS on the consol is just a joke

 

Yes but if they thought that, they wouldn't have gotten you a console either. At least if you have a computer, you're not limited to playing video games.

 

Since when was crysis available to consoles?
I assume you are talking about crysis 2.

Well if you actually could build a computer with the same type of hardware that's in a console, i'd assume you could get the same performance (since it would be the console anyhow ). That argument is invalid since the hardware inside consoles isn't available for purchase (unless you buy the whole console of course).
Similar hardware though (that's available for purchase) would without a doubt provide you with similar or more importantly better performance and IQ.
If we're talking solely about IQ then what about greater resolutions than 1080p and AA, newer DirectX support?
Compatibility issues is not something new to the PC market though and it's something that usually always get fixed.
I suppose it's a matter of preference.

And then we got the obvious reasons like the ability of customization (both hardware-wise and software-wise with mods), better online support, surfing, email and all that's been covered.

I have never understand this kind of discussion. Is it not better to have a wide variety of choice instead of just arguing about what's better? It's purely subjective anyhow.

Worth noting is that i own x360/wii/psp and ds. Will be getting the ps3 in the future.

EDIT:
I love whoever it was that put that one star rating though

EDIT2:
Read op again. From a purely economic standpoint where you only need a computer for surfing and a console for gaming, i suppose it might get a little cheaper than just buying a gaming capable computer.
Not by much though.

 

i got dat gamecast last year, dont really have any games on it except the ones my mom put on it.

Im a computer, stop all the downloadin

 

what, ya either got da dreamcast or da gamecube.

 

GAMECUBEZ!

Honestly is this even a valid thread? The second I saw it posted I knew that a slightly more biased flame war would ignite.... Its funny as hell to read regardless.

 

Charles Logan = Console Gamer
Jack Bauer = PC Gamer

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or better yet:

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they di not get ne a cibsik ethier ...... i'm a 100% pc gamer

 

Gaming on a laptop or desktop can be done in the privacy of your own room. While most console gaming has to be done in the family living room where the big tv is with people walking/talking/distracting you.

 

Why wouldn't I want to play on a computer?

 

When I'm done gaming, I can seamlessly use the system to do everything else I might want to do with a computer, and all it takes to play games is a relatively cheap graphics card stuck inside added to something you probably already have.

 

Exactly. Case in point, I helped a friend of mine build a PC four years ago. 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo (E6600?), 4GB DDR2 RAM, 7900 GT. It's managed every game he's thrown at it. He's ordering a $90 HD 4850, and that will get him through another year until he builds another machine based on i7.

 

Why do people waste 4 hours a day on Facebook?

Why do people announce on Twitter they ate food and took a dump?

Confounds me. What people do online and free time is very confusing.

I mean really... Why do people buy iPhones? I can't figure that one out still.

 

add me to all of the above.

 

4870 $100 - XFX Radeon HD 4870 1GB DDR5 PCI Express 2.0 Video Card - Slickdeals.net


I know my long winded posts often get overlooked or forgotten but a few pages back this is exactly what I said as well. We all already have a compuer for one reason or another, its not like your are buying a $1000 computer to just play games.

I built my HTPC for $300 and gave it to my stepdad he has played every game he wanted on it at full settings for the last year and a half, for the $100 for the 4870 it could play almost any game maxed out for the next year probably.

Really again refering back to my old post the main reason I prefer PC is how seamless and timeless it is. I still can play my old PC games and use my old PC accessories, all my old consoles are now shoved in the back of a closet with half of the nessisary items missing like connection cables, power adapters, or controllers.

With how consoles constantly replace themselves I hate buying into them and you cant keep the old ones around easily if you want to play your old games because the amount of space consumed, electrical outlets used, and cable mess becomes too much.

________________________________


Outside of the hardware aspect the software (games) themselves I prefer on PC since usually the graphics can be better, lots of community created mods, and the ability to easily take screen shots and record games with programs like fraps make it a lot more appealing to be on the PC rather than a console.

Not to mention this is NBR a lot of us are gaming on laptops, its a hell of a lot more convenient to open my laptop and play a game than it would be a pack a TV and PS3 on the go and since its PC I can share the saves between my desktop and laptop easily as well.

 

You can't pack up a console and HDTV and play some Dirt 2 while waiting for a meeting to start at work either

 

I usually go with DoDonPachi before meetings using my wiimote, and then use the wiimote as my demonstration remote when the meeting starts.

 

Not sure if you were trying to help, or show 4870 is available for $100, but either way I believe you, but this deal is dead.

 

Yeah was trying to help if he did not buy yet the 4870 is better than the 4850 by about 20-30% and it was the same price.

Deal was posted 3 days ago so guess its dead now. $20 rebate still good though so you can get it for $120.00

 

Wait, was he really just using the cost of MMORPG's as a way to compare PC's and consoles, while using the cost as a factor into how worthwhile the MMORPG's are?

Besides, this discussion is taking place in a notebook forum, so our gaming systems are 100% portable and double as *gasp* PC's.

 

Honestly I thought that console gaming was much cheaper, however in light of steam sales I find this not to be true.

I have an Asus G60VX which i purchased for $899. I have bought since February about 1700 dollars of games from steam for a fraction of their retail value.

Granted a ps3 costs about $300, the games are still about $19 to 59 dollars. In the long term it seems the computer comes out on top. I got splinter cell last week from ubisoft for a $1.

Finally with xbox 360 controller support its like having a console were ever you go.

Cheers

 

$1700 of games in six months! You're insane! I thought I was bad, probably $1700 over the course of several years.

 

You can't really expect a normal discussion over something like this on a computer forum, at gaming section where everyone has a gaming PC but very few have consoles..

Not saying every opinion/post here is biased, but .. well, most are just ridiculous or empty so to say.


As an anwer to OP - yes, console gaming is cheaper, but console gaming and PC gaming are different.
PC gaming is generally for more 'hardcore' players. Sure, there are casuals playing Farmville and Sims too but mostly people play FPS/MMO/RTS games on PC, the selection is wide and amount of players is huge.
Console gaming is more for fun. There are tons of exclusives just for consoles, and most of them are named and rated as the best games of this generation and then there are multiplayer games - you invite your friends over for a gaming blast, such as Guitar Heros, Rock Band, DJ Hero or some racing games or some fighting games.

Some guys note that PC gaming is supposed to be better because you can upgrade your PC.
Well guess what guys. You don't need to upgrade your console. It will play games now, has been playing games for four-five years with that hardware and will continue to play games for the next four-five years - all that without any hassle.

The only real 'edge' PC gaming has is the ability to emulate older console games. Though you can emulate Wii games at FullHD nowdays.

 

No one in the world would have enough time to play $1700 dollars worth of games (discount or not) in 6 months... I call shininagins! Get your brooms everyone!

 

Better graphics, control, immersion.

Not to mention, your using a computer. Simple access to the internet/browsers/games, ect..

 

Ugh I hate quoting long quotes. ANYWAYS. You sir are not taking in many points of consideration.

Why can't you expect a normal discussion on a forum like this? This is the first console vs PC discussion i've ever seen where 90% of the posts were not filled with verbal abuse.

What? I bet you $1000 bucks that at least 99% of the people in here have owned at least one kind of console over the years.

Console gaming cheaper? HA! When I had a console I was wasting more money than I even had and being in university this was a very bad thing.

Umm ever hear of Halo and CoD or heck even KZ2? To insist that games like these or in general are less hardcore on consoles is extremely nonsensical. If anything console gamers are far more aggressive (see it, been there, done that) than PC gamers. With my current PC, even while playing SC2 I'm doing so extremely casually. I usually Play a 30 min game, quit, browse teh web, listen to some tunes then go out for the day.

Also have you ever seen how some people play the SIM's? It scares me how 7 hours can go buy and they don't even notice.

Console gaming is more for fun? Seriously? Your saying that I didnt buy my Alienware PC for fun? Well what the hell did I buy it for then? SRSGAMEZ!!!111! I think not. So blatantly labeling one console or gaming device as more fun is extremely biased and a purely personal preference. I find all consoles to be fun... And multiplayer games? Please, PC's invented multiplayer gaming, whether it be online or LAN parties with your buddies.

Yea its true that consoles don't need to upgrade... Persay.... But us PC owners choose to do so simply because we want the better graphics, better performance and best over all experience. For example, I can play oblivion on my PS3 for a good... 3 hours before I'm bored? But once I play my PC version I can be on that ride all day long. Given the chance console gamers would upgrade there hardware every year, hell about 70% of console games buy the new "remodelings" of xbox's and PS3s when there released. And thats not even an upgrade... Oh and when FFXIV is released I could be playing it for the next 8 years without upgrading my hardware, if I chose to do so.

Did you seriously not read ANY OF THE POSTS BEFORE YOU WROTE THIS? Seriously I'm not even going to weite the 1000 page book on why this is so incorrect.

 

Ugh I hate quoting long quotes. ANYWAYS. You sir are not taking in many points of consideration.

Why can't you expect a normal discussion on a forum like this? This is the first console vs PC discussion i've ever seen where 90% of the posts were NOT filled with verbal abuse.

What? I bet you $1000 bucks that at least 95% of the people in here have owned at least one kind of console over the years.

Console gaming cheaper? HA! When I had a console I was wasting more money than I even had and being in university this was a very bad thing. Every time I was bored with my PS3 I'd have to dish out 60 bucks for my next console experience... Which usually lasted a month... Where as on PC, I just got TWO S.T.A.L.K.E.R games for TEN dollars, TEN! And with the mods, it makes it a whole new game and more indepth experience.

Umm ever hear of Halo and CoD or heck even KZ2? To insist that games like these or in general are less hardcore on consoles is extremely nonsensical. If anything console gamers are far more aggressive (see it, been there, done that) than PC gamers. With my current PC, even while playing SC2 I'm doing so extremely casually. I usually Play a 30 min game, quit, browse teh web, listen to some tunes then go out for the day.

P.S. Please don't EVER mention farmville as a game again.

Console gaming is more for fun? Seriously? Your saying that I didnt buy my Alienware PC for fun? Well what the hell did I buy it for then? SRSGAMEZ!!!111! I think not. So blatantly labeling one console or gaming device as more fun is extremely biased and a purely personal preference. I find all consoles to be fun... And multiplayer games? Please, PC's invented multiplayer gaming, whether it be online or LAN parties with your buddies.

Yea its true that consoles don't need to upgrade... Persay.... But us PC owners choose to do so simply because we want the better graphics, better performance and best over all experience. For example, I can play oblivion on my PS3 for a good... 3 hours before I'm bored? But once I play my PC version I can be on that ride all day long. Given the chance console gamers would upgrade there hardware every year, hell about 70% of console gamers buy the new "remodelings" of xbox's and PS3s when there released. And thats not even an upgrade (granded it prevented xbox users from burning their houses down)... Oh and when FFXIV is released I could be playing it for the next 8 years without upgrading my hardware, if I chose to do so.

Did you seriously not read ANY OF THE POSTS BEFORE YOU WROTE THIS? Jeebus, I just.. I dont... wha........

​

 

You can't play WoW on consoles.

There I said it. Now we can all lay this thread to rest because everyone knows it's the only reason why anyone would buy a computer but were just too afraid to admit it.

 

That much is certain. I'm talking about either X360 or PS3, as these rival PC gaming at the moment.

Anyone can say that. Console gaming is cheaper, the games however are generally 20% more expensive though. As I closely read other PC vs Console threads in random tech forums it has been proven over and over.

Console shooters are clumsy and slow. They are hardcore when compared with rest of console games but rather casual when compared with CS, Quake gaming on PC. Most console shooters have auto-aim or aim-assist because using controller for shooters is just .. ugh.

Playing games for a long time does not equal hardcore..

You compare console gaming with your computer hardware?

And yet you ignored the points I proved. PC multiplayer is online, that's the same with consoles. But having a PC at home you won't be inviting your friend(s) over to play multiplayer games. You do it online. You have no socical interaction with others. LAN (hehe, nerdfests) are events. Maybe once in a month, or twice in a year. With console gaming it's not hard to imagine getting together with friends and playing multiplayer games on one screen, sharing the fun right there.

Now you're just trolling. Good job.

Yeah. Good luck with that. Or are you implying PS3 owners can't play the game for the next 8 years if they chose to? Heh.

I've read enough. And that is the only really valid point that matters.

 

I can answer these questions.

1. people want to be noticed

2. people want to be noticed

and 3. Because people need to be noticed(and this helps them get on facebook/twitter), some more than others.

Its very simple when you look at the hive you begin to understand simple things.

 

@ Chaos Proxy.

Your 17 posts shows your obviously a regular here. Scurry off then.

And no im not going to read your quoted post.... Oh crap I just did.

 

@ Breaking Brian if NBR is the only place you read about tech/gaming and whatnot then I feel sorry for you. Also, scurry off? Heh, looks like I made an underage troll a little mad. Whoops.

 

you told the future my friend

 

Simply making assumptions is very, very childish, insulting and just plain rude. I've familiar with many technological news sites and visit them quite frequently.

But fyi.

I'm a computer tech for an entire section at a University while also a student, I'm 19 and Canadian. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to drink a well deserved beer legally.

Good day to you sir.

 

Games, serious business.

 

Hypocrite much? First you whine how I don't have many posts here then you say making assumptions is very childish..

Well this explains something.

 

Thread has been going downhill and people are already bickering, so I am closing it.

If you have a specific question about laptop gaming, post it in the gaming forum.

If you have a specific question about console gaming, post it in the gaming forum.

If you have a general question, do a search first as there are usually always threads.