PC Gaming is Not Dead, PC > Consoles

I don’t know why some people can even contemplate that PC gaming is dead. Sure, we also have consoles, phones, and tablet devices for gaming entertainment. Before I even get into the argument please remember that all games have to be developed on a Personal or Mac Computer. The PC vs Console debate has been argued before I have started in the gaming industry in 1998. So I have seen first hand the reasons for the arguments for either one. The arguments tend to get louder during the beginning of console's life cycle. PC hardware will always out perform the console in all benchmarks no matter the release date. Once you purchase a console machine the parts are already out performed by newer hardware. That is why you see new revisions and models of consoles. The newer parts tend to be cheaper and more powerful for stability. The ultimate reason why consoles could out perform PC comes down to the ease of access and value of the system. People purchases the console systems because its a new device with bells and whistles upgraded from previous ones with new marketing lingo.

PCs tend to be taken for granted because they are more accessible. The PC is always present as a gaming medium and is easy to upgrade opposed to consoles that are released every 3-5 years depending on the system. A new PC component is a website away with many options for manufacturers. PC gaming is an open environment where users can do more customizations with the software. PC gaming has free gaming mods and console game developers sell you those mods as games. Everything you can do on a console you can do better on a PC. On consoles, the system is closed and needs proprietary software to access and modify. People who game on PC tend to be more computer literate then console gamers. One of my friends tells me that “Console systems are glorified DVD players with power buttons”.

Right now PC gaming is the reemerging star of the market. All the major console companies are preparing for the next iteration of their systems. Their limits have been pushed. PC hardware is blowing past console in power and price. Unless you talking about Razor and its bogus marketing campaign and domain name for PC gaming is not dead. If I were you I would be sad. They were trying to turn a highly debatable topic into a PR reason to sell an item at an outrageous price point. Real PC gamers can use any type of PC even a few years old to play any and most games. PCs have minimum requirements. We don’t need to give away out rights by agreeing to a terms of service agreement. We can just log in and play with who and when but with a mouse and keyboard. PC gaming was founded on those two great tools. I had a Commodore 64 computer with 300 baud modem for gaming and that was more powerful then an Atari by far.

The PC will always reign supreme in the PC gaming debate. Since more households own a PC vs the current console systems, you will be hard pressed to say that any console can win. Consoles only grab a temporary market gain every life cycle but ultimately lose to PCs in the end.

All feedback is welcome.

This article also appears on my personal website at www.mbhahn.com