Console VS PC gaming. By Sam

Transcription

1 Console VS PC gaming By Sam

2 Console VS PC gaming By Sam Gaming can be done on almost any computational device, such as cell phones, IPods, or even a calculator. In the gaming community, there has long been a debate about whether consoles, like the Xbox 360, or PCs give the better overall gaming experience. There are a few things that can be looked at, such as the graphics, the control scheme and the multiplayer functions to name a few. Graphics have an aesthetic appeal, and although good graphics or graphics at all aren t necessary for a game, they can certainly help with how attracted prospective buyers are to the game. Graphics for the Xbox 360, a

3 major gaming platform, have stayed the same since This happens because of either a lack of funding for a new system, or the lack of a need to release a better console. This adds the plus of not having to upgrade your console, but the downside is that you will have the same graphics until they release a new system. Graphics for PC games on the other hand are a different story. Computer games are getting graphics updates all the time. Each game has a different set of system requirements that you need to have to run the game smoothly. Although updating your PC is a worthwhile thing to do, most games have options you can use to lower the graphics and doing so can usually help you to play the game smoothly. However, keeping a PC up to date on its graphics processor or RAM is an important thing to do if you play graphically intensive games, not to mention the fact that you will have to

4 upgrade it eventually so it can run other types of software in the future. This creates the plus of having good graphics, but a downside of having to upgrade your hardware whenever it becomes hard to play games otherwise. It s essentially the opposite of the console. In the graphics debate, it s about how much you are willing to sacrifice for performance. The control scheme of consoles and PCs are very different. Consoles, for example, have a controller that allows you to interact with the game world. Controllers usually have the same settings universally, so there can be a lack of ability to change the control configuration to what feels comfortable to you. The control scheme of a PC, however, is very different. Instead of a controller, you have a mouse and keyboard. In just about every game

5 published for the PC, they give you options to change your controls to match what you find comfortable. This is easy for developers to do because essentially it s just changing the values in a file. Some people don t really like the mouse and keyboard method of playing games, but there are other alternatives. Controllers from consoles can be easily linked to a PC and can be used to control a PC instead of a mouse and keyboard. This gives the PC an advantage in that you can use both ways of controlling a game, instead of just one. Multiplayer and online functions of a game are essential to a gaming community. It allows players to meet up into groups and play together, which is an easy way to make new friends, or meet up with old ones. Current generation consoles come with this ability built in

6 to their systems. A service known as Xbox Live is very popular in today s multiplayer games, and is necessary for any sort of online activity with your friends. The service itself has a store, and you can download software updates from it. It s a decent sot of online service. The problem with this though, is that Xbox Live isn t free. You have to pay around $60 a year for it, which is around $5 a month. It isn t a bad rate, but it has a competition. The equivalent of this for PC games is a service called Steam. Steam is made by the company Valve, and is a very common thing for a PC gamer to have. There are over 3 million players online each day, so it s likely that you could know several people who have an account. The best part about this service is that it s free, and allows you to easily shop for new games online. Once purchased, they are delivered to

7 you instantly via download, rather than having to go to a store to get them. The debate of Console VS PC gaming may never end, but both of them can give you a good gaming experience. They both have about the same features, and which one you decide to pick is completely up to you. Enjoying the game should be your top priority while playing, and you should choose the one that you can enjoy the most.