Common Misconceptions About Gaming.

[Xylia]

The PC vs Console debate has been around for-freaking ever, and a lot of people on both sides of the coin (console more than PC) have a lot of misconceptions about the whole thing that just... irk me.

 

I see the outright false arguments being thrown around everywhere, and well... sometimes one just has to set the record straight for the masses who don't know what they're talking about.

 

A lot of these are going to seem like they are Pro-PC (because most of the people who don't seem to understand seem to be console people), but I want to add a disclaimer that I understand that both PC and Consoles have their place on the market, though with this day and age, there really isn't a reason to distinguish between the two at all (and you'll see why later in this post).

 

Misconception #1: "Emulation is Piracy". Absolutely false for a number of reasons:

 

1). Copying something that is out of print is not "Piracy". Many older games are not being made anymore, they are not being sold by their original creators, nor those holding the rights to any licenses involving these games. Downloading old ROMs of games no longer in circulation is a very weak case for "Piracy". The developers of said titles are not losing any money in the ROM trade. This does, of course, change when things like Virtual Console in the 3DS/Wii get introduced, though, since those games ARE back in circulation. This usually only happens with major titles, though.

 

2). You can totally Emulate and download ROMs, if you own a physical copy of the game. You gave the developer your money, you own a "License" to play the game. Technology has advanced to where this is possible through different means (ROMs, Emulators), but the same concept still applies. Newer console generations use media that make this even easier (like CDs for PS1 games, DVDs for PS2 games, etc). There's a minor caveat in that most Emulators require a BIOS ROM, and downloading that without owning the console can be considered piracy. But if you own the console, and you download its BIOS ROM, then it isn't really piracy because you actually do own that.

 

So to wrap up the above: There are plenty of ways to Emulate without Pirating. Can pirates use Emulation to pirate easier? Absolutely. The same goes on in PC games, and even Console Gamers get in on the Piracy too (copying game disks and using modified consoles to play those while bypassing the copy protection).

 

Misconception #2: "Keyboard/Mouse Controls are bad!" Many gamers who have tried both (especially for FPS games) will tell you KB/M rules the FPS genre over a controller, easily. But those are all opinions. The fact is, however, that you can easily plug your console controllers into a PC under certain conditions. Microsoft makes 360 controllers that are specifically designed to plug into your PC either wired or wirelessly and PC games/ports are coded in such a way to detect such controllers. PS2 controllers can be used, if you buy a PS2->USB adapter that allows you to plug a PS2 controller into a USB port. I'm sure later controllers have similar work-arounds, and I remember seeing the same adapters being made for older controllers too (though a PS2 controller will easily handle 8-bit, 16-bit, and 32-bit emulators; I've done it myself many times).

 

Misconception #3: "Consoles are more powerful than PCs!" Absolutely false. In fact, the latest-generation PS4 and Xbox One are both weaker than many gamers' PCs. The hardware featured in these consoles are at best sub-par in the PC gaming market. They were below-average when the consoles were first released, and with every passing month, they slip deeper into the "Subpar" and "Obsolete" status. The reason why a console gamer might think differently might be because he owns a weaker computer, or because the console OS is more streamlined and uses up less resources than Windows7 or Windows8 would. On the subject of OS....

 

Misconception #4: "Consoles are completely different than PCs!" .....uh, no. They aren't. In fact, the latest generation Consoles are exactly the same as a PC with two major exceptions: 1). It has a different BIOS. 2). It has a different OS which might or might not be built into the BIOS. I know it has been done for the Wii, and I wouldn't be surprised if there was a tech junkie working the PS4 and Xbox One right now: It should be theoretically possible to crack into the BIOS to change it. If you were to succeed at doing that, you could easily install Linux or Windows on the PS4/Xbox One because they are all x86-64 machines. This means that they run on pretty much the same hardware and architecture that your PC does. Notice how they list the very same chips in the consoles that you've heard about in PCs? Well that's because they use the same hardware. I wouldn't be surprised if someone were to somehow manage to reverse-engineer the BIOS/OS to come up with a PS4/Xbox One OS that can run on your average PC (that has stronger insides than an actual PS4/XB1 does!) someday. You can also count on an Emulator a few years down the line when PCs are strong enough to run an OS + Emulator + Game better than the original console did.

 

Misconception #5: "I don't like sitting at a desk, I like my huge TV! I wouldn't want to play on a 20 inch monitor when my console uses a 50 inch TV!" Well... you might be pleased to know that many graphics cards nowadays have HDMI output (if it doesn't have that, then your TV probably has DVI or RGB D-Sub instead) and will hook up to any normal HDMI-capable TV. You might want to be careful, though, and read the specs on your TV: Some cheaper TVs only allow up to 1360x768 resolution which can be inconvenient for some games. Thankfully, more developers are catching on to this odd resolution and are implementing it. Said TVs also have a 3.5mm audio-in so that you can hook up your computer's Line-Out to the TV's Audio-In so that the TV can play your computer's sound output, or, you can rig your computer up to a sound system just the same as you would your TV or console.

 

Misconception #6: "A PC is too expensive!" PCs have really fallen in price. Last I checked, you can easily buy a Walmart PC for $250-300. Obviously not the best choice if you want to do hardcore gaming, but like anything else, you get what you pay for.  The Walmart PC isn't that far under a PS4/XB1 and will do a more variety of tasks. Or, for a little more than a PS4/XB1, you can get a PC in the $600 range which will outclass the PS4/XB1's hardware.

 

Misconception #7: "One is better than the other!" Ah yes, the be-all and end-all of the PC vs Console debate. I know I've slapped around Consoles a lot up until this post, but for the simple matter that both sides have their place in the gaming world. Consoles are for people who aren't tech-savvy enough to set their own systems up, or manage their OS's. PCs are for gamers who want to have more control over their gaming environment and their games, and for people who are wanting to improve their gaming experience often through upgrading their hardware.

 

So there you have it. The 7 most common arguments I see in PC vs Console debates, debunked.

[PsychedelicSnake]

Misconception #7: "One is better than the other!" Ah yes, the be-all and end-all of the PC vs Console debate. I know I've slapped around Consoles a lot up until this post, but for the simple matter that both sides have their place in the gaming world. Consoles are for people who aren't tech-savvy enough to set their own systems up, or manage their OS's. PCs are for gamers who want to have more control over their gaming environment and their games, and for people who are wanting to improve their gaming experience often through upgrading their hardware.

THIS.

 

Like a college education, PCs are not for everyone. Also like a college education, PCs may be too complicated for some people. I play both Console and PC, and I can understand why many people are turned away from PC. At the same time, I can see why some people are turned away by Consoles. Nevertheless, one is not better than the other.

 

Except the Virtual Boy. Everything is better than that.

[Angius]

PCs can be upgraded, if you want to upgrade your console you just need to buy a whole new one.

For the same price PC will be more powerful and more all-round than console.

PC games are way cheaper. and modding. Modding is cool.

Nothing will beat the accuracy of a mouse in shooters. Unless you like to use snap-to-target autoaim.

 

That's enough reasons for me to get PC over console

 

PC rigs are hard to assemble? Puh-leease, just order a set that you'd like, or a pre-made one and the shop selling it will assemble everything for you, and even install OS, even for no charge in some cases...

Edited May 21, 2014 by Angius

[Xylia]

Nothing will beat the accuracy of a mouse in shooters. Unless you like to use snap-to-target autoaim.

 

There is ONE thing I will admit about Consoles and FPS games....

 

I Loved... LOVED.... the Gamecube's versions of Metroid Prime 1 and Metroid Prime 2.

 

I loved the movement, the aiming, the controls.... such perfect games. Someday I'mma emulate that on my PC and get an adapter that lets me plug a GC controller into my PC.

Edited May 21, 2014 by Xylia

[Seele]

Once I start playing a game with a controller / keyboard, I can't go the other way.

 

Like if a Gears of War game ever comes out for the PC again I will not be able to play it with a mouse, and if I get a PS4 I will not be able to play Warframe on it.

 

I acknowledge the precision of a mouse, but nothing beats raw results. Give me a 360 controller and I will wreck people in Gears.

[Xylia]

Once I start playing a game with a controller / keyboard, I can't go the other way.

 

Like if a Gears of War game ever comes out for the PC again I will not be able to play it with a mouse, and if I get a PS4 I will not be able to play Warframe on it.

 

I acknowledge the precision of a mouse, but nothing beats raw results. Give me a 360 controller and I will wreck people in Gears.

 

To each, their own. The purpose of this thread was to supply facts, not opinions as I said in the OP.

[KrazyKrl]

THIS.

 

Like a college education, PCs are not for everyone. Also like a college education, PCs may be too complicated for some people. I play both Console and PC, and I can understand why many people are turned away from PC. At the same time, I can see why some people are turned away by Consoles. Nevertheless, one is not better than the other.

 

Except the Virtual Boy. Everything is better than that.

 

I take offense to that Virtual Boy comment, I DEMAND SATISFACTION SIR.

 

But after playing both consoles, and PCs; there are dregs on both, but the largish wall from the cost of a decent PC keeps some of the younger folk out.

 

The main problem with consoles, is the walled garden form of DLC that is absurdly prevalent on the console. Even going so far as to lock out multiplayer unless you pay an extra $10 ontop of a $60 game, on top of DLC which ususally runs more than the base game, for less content.

 

Consoles are pretty much completly for-profit devices, and are absurdly expensive to continually operate; compared to the large capital outlay for a PC, with minor(if any) upkeep.

[Xylia]

Consoles are pretty much completly for-profit devices, and are absurdly expensive to continually operate; compared to the large capital outlay for a PC, with minor(if any) upkeep.

 

Until/unless it Red Rings/Red Stripes on you. Then the upkeep ain't so minor, lol.

 

Or the plethora of optical drive problems that has plagued Sony consoles clear back to the first PSX model. An optical drive would set you back $20 in a PC; a failed optical drive in a PSX meant you had to get a whole new system.

 

Oh, and Backwards-Compatibility is another sore subject with me: Since they are all running on x86-64 hardware, would it SERIOUSLY be THAT hard to code the OS's to recognize code from earlier OSs like Windows does? The PS3 started with some kind of hardware emulation, then went to software emulation, then removed BC altogether... I heard at some point they put it back in, but never heard any confirmation on that. Not sure how BC works with the PS4.

 

At least the Wii-U still plays Wii games last I checked... but they removed Gamecube support after the first generation Wii consoles. The code is all there in the OS, they just chose not to put the controller/memory card slots in the machine for some stupid reason.

 

But Windows?

 

I can play any Windows 32bit+ game. I can even play 16-bit Windows 3.1 games if I use a Win3.1 Emulator (which is incredibly easy to do; just use Dosbox + Windows 3.11 download which is like... what, 10MB? Easy to set up, easy to use.) DOS games are available by the aforementioned Dosbox. For those weird games that do not want to run under WinXP/7+, there's always Dosbox+Win98SE (also very easy to do).

 

I know that any game I have today, will run years from now on the PC.

 

But yet I still have 5+ consoles sitting on my TV stand, because nobody believes in Backwards-Compatibility.

[KrazyKrl]

Until/unless it Red Rings/Red Stripes on you. Then the upkeep ain't so minor, lol.

 

Or the plethora of optical drive problems that has plagued Sony consoles clear back to the first PSX model. An optical drive would set you back $20 in a PC; a failed optical drive in a PSX meant you had to get a whole new system.

 

Oh, and Backwards-Compatibility is another sore subject with me: Since they are all running on x86-64 hardware, would it SERIOUSLY be THAT hard to code the OS's to recognize code from earlier OSs like Windows does? The PS3 started with some kind of hardware emulation, then went to software emulation, then removed BC altogether... I heard at some point they put it back in, but never heard any confirmation on that. Not sure how BC works with the PS4.

 

At least the Wii-U still plays Wii games last I checked... but they removed Gamecube support after the first generation Wii consoles. The code is all there in the OS, they just chose not to put the controller/memory card slots in the machine for some stupid reason.

 

But Windows?

 

I can play any Windows 32bit+ game. I can even play 16-bit Windows 3.1 games if I use a Win3.1 Emulator (which is incredibly easy to do; just use Dosbox + Windows 3.11 download which is like... what, 10MB? Easy to set up, easy to use.) DOS games are available by the aforementioned Dosbox. For those weird games that do not want to run under WinXP/7+, there's always Dosbox+Win98SE (also very easy to do).

 

I know that any game I have today, will run years from now on the PC.

 

But yet I still have 5+ consoles sitting on my TV stand, because nobody believes in Backwards-Compatibility.

 

Backwards compatibility doesn't sell their new products, these companies are selling the consoles at a rather large price cut; and trying to recoup the costs in monthly subscriptions, DLC purchases, and software licensing agreements.

 

A console has terrible build quality, terrible support, terrible design, and the software you use on it is purely profit driven; which is terrible for any real connectivity, or functionality, in any device(especially in a device designed so sharply for short-term profit margins.)

[Xylia]

Backwards compatibility doesn't sell their new products,

 

But yet, failure to do BC can cause a potential buyer to decide against buying the product; some people have an old machine that's about to break down and they're considering whether to go up or replace it, replacing it is cheaper, but going up gives them access to new games... oh wait, no BC? That means no playing older games.

 

Including BC might actually improve sales as more people would be encouraged to chuck their old Playstations and buy the New ones if they had more assurances that their New playstations would play their old previous-gen playstation games.

 

 

 

these companies are selling the consoles at a rather large price cut; and trying to recoup the costs in monthly subscriptions, DLC purchases, and software licensing agreements.

 

It isn't Sony selling the DLCs in your games, though. Look to EA and the others for That. The subscription to the online services, yeah. That's Sony/M$, true.

 

But if they keep digging this hole where they are trying to shovel bad hardware off on people and trying to "recoup the losses" by ramming subscription fees down everybody's throats, then IMO they're just digging themselves an early grave.

 

They could, instead, price the system reasonably and actually deliver the goods fair and plain. Some people might grumble that it is "too expensive", but damn. Console gamers need to realize you can't get quality hardware for $300. You're not gonna do it.

 

That's like going to a used car lot expecting to buy last year's Ferrari for $5000. You're not going to do it. Sorry.

 

 

 

A console has terrible build quality, terrible support, terrible design, and the software you use on it is purely profit driven; which is terrible for any real connectivity, or functionality, in any device(especially in a device designed so sharply for short-term profit margins.)

 

And yet some people still defend these consoles to death.

 

There was a day where consoles were not weak-PCs-in-a-fancy-box, back during the earlier Nintendo consoles (Gamecube, N64, SNES, etc).  Heck, even the PS1 and PS2 were good consoles.

 

But I feel that ever since the Xbox and the PS2, they've gone downhill, and sharply. Consoles are no longer unique, they feature the same (but inferior) hardware that PCs have, they use proprietary OSs, and their insistence upon keeping PCs and Consoles Separate are only hurting the gaming industry as a whole.

 

If Sony and MS would move to developing Portable Gaming PCs (kinda like Valve's idea of the Steam Box) rather than Consoles, we'd have games that everybody could play, no more "Console Exclusives" (which only prevent some gamers from buying your games, which means you lose out on sales), we'd have better machines with better hardware which no backwards-compatibility issues, etc etc etc.

 

EDIT: Just realized how much of a "Consoles are dying!" this post sounds. It isn't that I WANT to see consoles die, I'm just of a mind that there's really... I don't know. There's very little reason to keep doing this. We're at a point now, where any Windows PC can handle any game ever made these days. The various ports prove this. Doesn't matter what you set up on a console, a PC can easily do it and probably better. Dark Souls (and #2), the Crysis games, Warframe (even though it came out on PC first), Elder Scrolls, Fallout, these are all games that exist on both PC and Console.

 

The only exception are Wii games, and I think that even Wii games could exist on a PC if one were to come up with a way to hook the scanner bar up to the PC and a dongle to read input from the Wiimote and its various attachments.

 

But I doubt Nintendo is in the market to make PC Gaming Rigs, lol. But then again, Nintendo actually makes unique consoles, that aren't just PCs-in-a-fancy-box. The Wii can be treated as a PC if its BIOS is cracked, but yet the Wii also does things different than the other consoles -- their games are generally not ported to PC and vice-versa. That's why, if I were to ever buy another console, it'd be the Wii U.

 

It is actually a "true" console platform.

Edited May 21, 2014 by Xylia