Consoles Vs. PC's

Over the years, the video game console system has been with us, since its early beginnings where we were moving a paddle across a screen to move a white little ball back and forth in a little and classic game that we call 'Pong'. Then, with the advent of other games such as 'Donkey Kong', 'Pac Man', and countless others, it has proven that the demand was setting the consumer public on fire,and it was a pretty sure bet that the console would be with us for quite a long time.

But, with all of the hype that comes from companies that create games and gaming systems, such as Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft, the next big question is...whatever happened to a good old-fashioned game on the PC? Through the years, personal computers have received a bad reputation in the gaming world simply because there are those that feel that playing games on a computer requires complicated keystrokes, wonton moving of the mouse and so forth, and in the current gaming market, PC games are coming out later, fewer, and only the titles that have a popular following on most occassions (*ie the 'Hitman' games, 'Command and Conquer', etc.). But, even with all of that being taken into consideration, the PC by far still has a strong following, even if it is by those whom I term as 'game purists', who actually allow the technology that is currently available to them be able to work for them.

So, the next question is: Which is better and which one is going to be more cost-effective for the money we want to spend? Before we think on that, let us look at what the console systems have to offer to today's industry compared to what the personal computer is already offering now. Most people who are totally into gaming systems have a very intimate knowledge not only of the games, but also how the system works. In most cases, a console system actually has the very same things that a personal computer has. It has a processor chip, a combination CD and DVD drive, a hard drive (*which is currently a new technology that console systems have never had before), controllers, and then lastly, the game, which 99.9% of the time is on a CD disk. So, here we have a total package, ready to be hooked up to the TV and ready to play. Now, here's where things begin to get interesting.....most console systems and their games are roughly about the same prices as PC's, and often times more than what you would pay for a PC and its software. For example, The XBox 360 is currently running now at Game Stop for $349. That is nearly half the cost of a PC, and the games, if purchased new, can run you nearly $50-100 approximately, depending on the style and type of game that it is as well as how new it is to the market. Now, altogether, you are running into nearly the $600 range, and the costs will continue to climb dependent on how much you play and how many games you play per month. Admittedly, console games do have a re-sale or trade-in value to where it's the 'gift that keeps on giving', but where the real set-back comes in is when the upgraded next evolution of the consoles come out, and most upgrades will not play the games that you already currently have. Therefore, it's back to bugging Mom and Dad for an allowance increase to be ready for the next revolution.

Now about the games. The games that are usually created for the console systems are generally cheaper to make, are made with a different coding system, and they have to mark up the price when it reaches retail outlets in order to make a profit. Therefore, the companies are making the consumer pay their price. In most instances, the companies try to give a sense that the game has graphics that either come close or outrank the PC version or they are exclusive to their system and they also tend to market what they create for their products more, as consoles are now in popular demand. But, the fact of the matter is that even though they may seem to have higher graphical resolution, they fail to tell you that there are other prices that have to be paid for quality and ammenities, such as online play and high-definition graphics. For instance, let us say that we have purchased a very popular football game, and the back of the box shows us what we feel to be fantastic screenshots of the game, say a computer simulated player catching an interception pass before the tackle. So, after some careful thought and consideration, we decide to purchase the game and take it home to be the envy of our friends in the neighborhood. But, when we get home and plug it in, we realize that the graphics that are currently on our television are not the same as on the box, but when we look at it, we fail to see the fine print that tells us that 'Quality may be greatly reduced if player does not have HD capability.' So, in order to have the graphics we want, we have to go and purchase an HD-TV, which starts on the low end for a 13" at about $400. So, therefore, there is more expense. Then, there are also the extra cables, the headset that allows us to talk to our friends as we play, and so forth. The list just keeps going on and on. In the case of online play, such as for games like 'Shadowrun' and 'SOCOM', it requires that not only you have the HD-TV and an Internet service provider, but exclusively a broadband Internet service as well as having to pay for Microsoft's XBOX internet service, where you have to pay higher prices for game time in order to play as well as the cost for the broadband service itself, which can keep changing from month to month. While we may be getting the games that we like to play, we also have to pay extra costs in order to play them.

So, with this in mind, why don't we look at its competitor, the personal computer, and see what it has to offer. A personal computer in most cases will do exactly what you want for almost the same price, except for a few small perks....it is upgradeable, it is cost- efficient, and you can run it whenever you want without having to worry about paying extra costs, such as for an HD-TV and all of the other extras, and it is often a one-time investment. Also, most games on a personal computer have sharper resolution, higher graphics quality, and they cost about the same price, if not a little cheaper if you wait for the sales or know where to shop. There is also more variety, from the standard first-person shooter all the way down to the puzzler and so on. As far as for processor speed, there are very few games out there that run past a 4.0 Ghz processor, which is one of the highest processor speeds that a game may run on without going Dual-Core or Quad-Core. I have only seen one or two as of late, and that was because they were extremely graphics intensive and had a lot of interactivity. Most run no higher than the 2.0 Ghz, which makes the computer a plus as if your computer already has this speed and the right amount of memory, you're good to go. Also, you can uninstall and re-install, and you also have the ability to keep your saved games if you wish to decide to move on to something else, and they also simply run just smoother and also have the same abilities of some games being played right off the disk without having to install anything, just like consoles. Also, the Internet services are a lot cheaper, with most only coming out at about $20-30 a month as opposed to $50 for a twenty-hour card and having to run to a retail outlet to buy another one when you run out. Broadband is the preferred way with online gaming with the PC, (*just like the console), but not all PC games require you to have online capability. The only reason to actually play online is if you want to play against a friend, and that friend after a while, can become very costly in the long run if you are using the console Internet services, such as Xbox Live Studio.

To sum this all up, video games are available on a variety of platforms and have multiple capabilities that we can all enjoy. The main problem that most do not foresee is that gaming, in itself, is a very costly venture, and though many of us are limited on financial resources, we always seem to find a way to squeeze out that extra twenty bucks to get that sought-after form of electronic entertainment. But, what needs to be realized is that even with all of the technology that is available to us, we cannot forget the importance of the PC, because the PC is not only what we play games on, but also what games are created on. Without the PC, console systems would never have had the revolution that they have had now. So, before you drain your bank account in order to purchase the next big thing, take a chance at looking at a PC first,for it is not only a gaming system, but also a learning sytem, a DVD player, a jukebox, and so many other things. Who knows? Maybe after a little time getting acquainted with your new purchase, maybe you will begin to see the pros and cons of both sides and be able to make a justified decision. Your wallet will thank you for it!