Xbox 360 Graphics VERSUS PC computer graphics

It has probably already been said, but 360 games are always built for one platform...developers know what they have to work with, and they can optimize visuals to run on that platform with enough eye-candy and still enough FPS. On PCs, they basically allow a user to customize how much eye candy they have and then the game squeezes as many FPS as possible.

So in one regard, yes the 360 will always provide a smooth rate for games. But the PC will have the potential to do better over time. I wouldn't be surprised if high-end graphics cards already overpower the 360 in terms of graphics abilities.

But here's a twist...the 360 isn't exactly portable, and it doesn't have a built in battery or LCD screen.

Take a look at Oblivion for example...that started with the 360 and it was poorly ported to the PC. But it runs, and it works well enough to satisfy users. Many of us don't have HDTVs, so 360s are limited to 640x480 resolution...

While the 360s are cheaper, if you want to play at the resolutions that laptops and computers offer, you got to get an expensive HDTV or monitor that can work at high resolutions. Then, PCs can do a lot more than a 360 can outside of gaming (like checking email and posting on NBR)...and they can be more portable. Yes, you pay more, but I think you get more out of it.

 

@ Link1313

Not being a Xbox 360 fanboy but the PS3 isn't better than the Xbox 360 graphically. My friend has a 60" 1080p Sony Bravia SXRD TV. (yeah, he's a rich guy and I'm jealous of his Wii, PS3 and 360 while I only have a 360) We compared the games and they're graphically at par.

Back at topic:

Consoles are always given game optimizations. When they make consoles, they take into account the lifespan of the console. It's usually 5 years as history dictates. During the end of the console's lifespan, PC games always look better due to PCs having an extremely fast developing rate, just take a look at Moore's Law. This is why they equip the consoles with tons of things (weird architecture, special GPU, etc) that will make it look the nicest at the start of its lifespan. When they decide how to make the console and what to put in it, they have a projection of how long the console can hold its own against potential contenders throughout its lifespan, PC included. Consoles are uniform throughout their lifespan and if any changes are made, it's mostly cosmetic and they retain the same core hardware no matter how many revisions of the console they make. Because of this developers have to improve or use whatever tricks the console has at hand. Take for example Xbox 360's superior pixel and vertex processing power and the PS3's specialized processors for multiple computing streams.

Then again, it all boils down to how the developers trick the eyes of people into seeing something beautiful.

Mostly off topic again:

You buy the Xbox 360, PS3, or whatever gaming console to play games. Not email, surf the web, etc. They always offer superior gaming experiences because that's what they're supposed to do. If not, then they don't have a place in the market. PC games however can't always guarantee this. This is probably only very few Japanese developers make games for the PC. The Japanese are fond of creating their games in a way that you invite the player to the design of the game developers. Most western game developers love to create open-ended and freedom games that allow you to do anything and be free. Maybe for the Japanese it's just art. This is probably why Hideo Kojima doesn't want MGS4 on the Xbox 360 because having multiple DVDs just doesn't meet his requirements due to him apparently being a perfectionist. They want to present a game in a manner that's visioned by the game developer. In PC games, you can choose to turn off the fog, shadows, etc. What if the game has good story telling standards? And the developers wanted the players to feel the story with that background? What now? They can obviously expect it to be different for every user because PC specifications isn't uniform. There is no guarantee that every person's PC can handle that effect without killing playbility.

To cut it short, they design PC games to suit different modes and settings. Console games, however, are designed to look as good as they possibly can because the specifications are uniform and that the developers are assured that all players experience the same thing, at least in a physiological level.

Sorry for such a long post.

@ night_2004

Yeah. Consoles don't go portable like laptops. If I'm really going for some serious gaming, I sit on the couch with surround speakers blasting deafiningly loud and realistic sound, and looking at my 37" LCD screen with glorious visuals, all of them connected to a box under the cabinet. That box is called an Xbox 360. =D I go to a restaurant to eat good food, not sit just anywhere and eat what's in my lunch box.