The PC is the superior gaming platform - Definitive Edition

The last topic was unfortunately locked due to a bunch of off-topic circular arguments happening, so the mods invited me to recreate the topic if I wished...and I wished. This time I'll give some insight into what led me to choose the PC as my sole gaming platform besides the 3DS, skipping the Xbox One, PS4, and Wii U entirely. I couldn't be happier that I did.

I grew up traditionally being a console gamer, starting first with the NES and then SNES, having almost all the major consoles up until the PS3 & Xbox 360 generation. I did have a gaming PC during the last gen, but it was never my main platform - I was more of a PS3 gamer. Then, I got involved in game development and digital art/vfx. I was going to be spending a lot of time on a PC and figured that if I was going to build one for myself, that I might as well be using it to play awesome games as well. I built my own PC, and my consoles started getting less and less use until eventually I wasn't using them at all.

There are a ton of reasons why I think the PC is the best gaming platform in existence today, but I'll try to stick with the biggest ones.

• I can use any controller or multiple controllers at once, including mouse & keyboard, Xbox One controllers, DualShock 4's, or all of them at once. There is a lot more choice with PC, I'm not locked in to the few overpriced peripherals that the platform holders choose for me.
• Many games, even PC exclusives, are designed with native Xbox controller support. You can still play games from your couch displayed on your big TV in the living room if you want to - the PC is no longer relegated to the office like it was 10 years ago.
• The PC is capable of displaying higher fidelity visuals and effects at much higher resolutions and framerates than any console. PC games always look better and run better than their console counterparts. PC games can be played at 1440p and up to 144hz while even current generation console games still struggle with 1080p and 30hz, sometimes 60hz (but not usually). Even "remastered" games like The Last of Us still struggle to maintain 1080p/60 on the PS4, sometimes dipping down in the mid-40 fps range.
• Online multiplayer on PC is always free and not locked behind a paywall like it is with PSN and Xbox Live.
• The PC has far more exclusive titles released than any other console, in any generation, in addition to many of the same multiplatform titles that are released for the consoles as well. Only when they are on PC, they look & run better.
• The PC can be used for far more than just entertainment - it's a device that I can use for content production, school work, editing photos, curating my music collection, and more.
• The PC is a constantly evolving platform that is always growing in power, whereas the consoles are locked in without innovation or advancement for sometimes up to 9 years in the case of the 360 & PS3. My current PC is already much more powerful and capable than even the PS4 or Xbox One, and over time that gap is only going to widen further and further.
• PC games are less expensive. Not only are even multiplatform games almost always less expensive when released on PC, but PC games go on sale through outlets such as Steam, GOG, GreenManGaming and others far more often and for much steeper discounts than console games ever do. Developers love Steam sale events like the Summer & Winter sales, sometimes making more profits in a single week than they did during the entire year leading up to that.
• PC's are designed to use and take advantage of multiple monitors, allowing experiences that are simply not available on console. If you haven't gamed on 3+ monitors at once, you're seriously missing out and I recommend giving it a try, you'll never go back.
• The PC is the king of backwards compatibility. I can play any game I wish released at virtually any point in the PC's history with little to no problem, most of them installing directly from Steam in minutes. The current consoles offer no backwards compatibility whatsoever - Sony, MS, and Nintendo are more than happy to sell you the same games over and over again, though. This does not happen on PC.
• The PC has by far the largest and most diverse game library out of any platform, current or past.
• Developers build mod support into their games so the thriving PC mod community can get much more life out of games. This does not exist on consoles. See current games like Divinity: Original Sin and ArmA 3 for examples on how devs encourage modding and make it easy through the Steam Workshop.
• PC is the most friendly platform for developers. Anyone can create and release a game on PC that millions of gamers have access to without paying licensing fees to the likes of Sony or Microsoft, and at little to no overhead cost. It is the most friendly platform for the thriving independent game developer scene.
• You can actually make money playing games and creating assets & mods for games on PC, and companies like Valve encourage this through the Steam Workshop and Market. Nothing like this exists on consoles.
• There are far more Free To Play games on PC that are actually good games with business models that aren't horrible. Games like DotA 2 and Marvel Heroes are truly free to play. You can spend money for cosmetics or quality of life improvements but you don't need to at all. Again, nothing like this exists on consoles.
• The PC is overall less expensive to own than a console, and this becomes more drastic the more games one buys. A gaming PC that equals the PS4 or Xbox One in performance can be built for $400-$500 and then upgraded in a couple of years to easily surpass the capabilities of those locked and closed platforms, and the price disparity only grows as console gamers buy more and more expensive games over the lifespan of their console while PC gamers enjoy more & less expensive games.
• • The competitive / professional eSports scene lives on PC. Games like Dota 2 have tournaments like the International that had over $11 million dollars in prize money to be won this year - nothing like this exists on consoles.

There are more reasons but I'll leave it at that. Try to keep the discussion on topic - if you don't think the PC is the objectively superior gaming platform, then which one is and why? "LOL hermits" is not a valid argument. Please try to keep the discussion civil and on-topic, I don't want to have to create this again in a few weeks...but I totally will.

Thanks for reading and have fun!

Yeah, just make it again, so we can get back into those circular, off-topic arguments.

ok, we get it, and no one really cares.

Who still doesn't know this?

inb4 cranler derails the thread

The definitive gaming console would be one wherein all the AAA games reside. This is not the case. Therefore it cannot be definitive. /thread

are u @SolidGame_basic brother/cousin?

Nope. Just a gamer that knows specs aren't everything.

This again? ugh.

Hey friend, it's fine if you disagree! If you don't think the PC is the superior gaming platform, which one is? Or are you more of an egalitarian gamer? I'm interested to hear actual thoughts that aren't just "ugh".

Hmm....nah.

Cant play The Last of Us.

Using that "logic", if the PS4's only game was The Last of Us, it would still be the best gaming platform? That doesn't make any sense.

I am a pc gamer too but these kinds of topics are getting old . Just as the last one this will go off topic and get eventually locked. Cause you will get no "actual thoughts" from system wars.

Also adding that FPS's are meant to be played with a mouse and keyboard. I was hooked after I tried it, but don't get me wrong I still also play FPS titles on consoles.

@mikhail: Using that "logic", if the PS4's only game was The Last of Us, it would still be the best gaming platform? That doesn't make any sense

makes plenty of sense actually. Just not to the warped ways of thinking of the PC gamer.

PS3-4 can't play Zelda Ocarina of time, if you want to use scores

Glad I got tons of other games to play instead of only 1

Isn't this a duplicate thread. Are hermits that insecure about their platform that they have to make this thread over and over again. LOL!! Sure Pc is a great gaming platform, but it doesn't play game console exclusives that gamers want to play. More gamers, by choice, would rather play multiplats on game consoles, with their friends. For me, PC gaming is great for one thing, PC Exclsuives. Can't wait for Star Citizen and will be getting Path of Exile and Divinity: Original Sin before this year is over. Also need to get TorchLight 2. I don't hate PC gaming. It's just not my #1 platform of choice.

@MonsieurX: yeah just tell him that Linux, Mac and Windows are basically the same platform and you will get 20+ pages of bitching

@blackace: It's not a duplicate - like I said, I was invited by the mods to create a new topic, the old one had to be locked due to people that shall remain unnamed going way off topic and arguing like children and firing off petty insults and personal attacks.

This one is no different and it's not even past the first page yet. This "community" is completely lost.

I'm a PC gamer. Stop making these threads.

The most awarded game ever > your steam library

But let's put it to the test. Show your Steam library.Guarenteed it mimics this...

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2014/04/introducing-steam-gauge-ars-reveals-steams-most-popular-games/

and every other herm I've argued with. Half your library you won't have even touched,especially hallmark pc titles, and your most played games Will not be those that are graphically taxing, taking advantage of da powah.

You should pray that Cranler won't appear this time , otherwise your thread will be ruined once again . LOL .

Anyways , one of the biggest reasons I prefer PC over consoles is backward compatibility and variety in games . I was all about RTS when I played Starcraft 2 : Wings of Liberty and Shogun 2 , before that I was mostly into shooters . Now I am more interested in point and click adventure games .

I am one of those gamers who play the game from every genre as long as the game itself is fun . So naturally , PC is the way to go for me because it offers more variety . PC may be missing few good console games but consoles are missing entire genres .

Congratulations @mikhail, you actually created a well organized thread and presented your arguments clearly. Sadly, you are not going to receive the same respect because some of the members here are incapable of presenting a valid argument. Instead, the replies to this thread will be short sentences that do not make any sense, such as, "Can the PC play The Last of Us?" Actually, that has already happened and that person said they would take 1 game on a console over the entire library of PC games. I commend you on your valiant effort, but this is System Wars, you need to speak like a imbecile because that's the only language some understand.

@amazonangry: ok.

Ooo a virgin thread. Cranler can't resist putting his massive insight inside this fragile thread.

It'll either be about sales of a specific console game with a link, or another unrelated argument that has nothing to do with the topic at hand. Just putting my prediction out there so I can cite this post later.

From reading your post, I get the sense that you are experiencing the psychological effect of choice-supportive bias and are unconsciously insecure with your decision to have the PC as your sole gaming platform and skipping the others, so you need to try to justify it to your brain by convincing other people of why your choice was a good one. The fact that you still felt the need to make a duplicate thread about it after the first one was locked only further confirms this to be true.

Your comment is what is called an ad hominem attack...what you're doing is attempting to insult me rather than address the points I presented. It isn't going to work.

@mikhail said:

@amazonangry: ok.

hmm..Nice,but would be worth something if you actually did what I asked.Just give me a link to your library so I can see the time put into each title. I don't care how many games you have. I want to see the time played.

But it has the most AAA games, so for now its the best.

Steam has several games with higher scores than The Last of Us. Too bad TLOU isn't as good as them.

Lol someone posted this or the previous thread on the PCMR reddit under the peasantry tag...

Amazon angry you are now known as UltraPesantxx420xx

http://imgur.com/7ieVhVr

PS4 has only 1 game. PC has many.

Checkmate Consoles. Have fun with your...."definitive remasters".

LOL backwards compatibility turned into "definitive remaster" milking instead of new games.

Consoles are sucking so bad this gen.

Drop a link to your Steam library so I can see what you've been playing.

@amazonangry: what does it matter?

He has the games he can play tem whenever he does not need you to come up with a pointless biased conclusion based on nothing....like you usually do.

I bought over 100 games just last year and have only played about 20 of them ...your point?

AmazonAngry is jelly of PC master race.

@speedfreak48t5p: and clueless..

Edit: Oh dear we are going off topic again.

Me personally after 22 years of being a Pc gamer it is pretty obvious what I prefer.

It wouldn't stop me from buying a console in the future however if either amass enough games I want to play but that is just not the case for me personally at the moment.

First post a picture of your neck and jaw and then i'll do the same.

oh lol...UltraPeasantxx420xx is fantastic

It matters because the herm arguement falls apart when you actually look at the data in their libraries.

There's a huge discrepancy between what pc gamers say, and what they play.

At least BlueHazey and Lostrib openly display their Steam Iibraries, and prove my point according to their play data.

Prove me wrong. I'll be waiting.

And another herm arguement bites the dust. :->

@amazonangry: your argument falls apart when it does not take into account being offline and any games bought or played before 2009 which for me is hundreds and any game that you do not buy on steam which is many...as usual you only mention what works in your favour and leave out anything that does not