Why do consoles exist?

Consoles could die and no one would notice. Think about it we got cameras because they are good at taking pictures, video cameras because they are good at taking videos. On the other hand we got consoles for what? Everything a console can do a PC could do it 10 times better. Contrary to that a dedicated camera takes better pictures than a mobile phone. So what are consoles good for?

because you cant play pc gamres on a couch with friends while relaxing, and you have to upgrade every two months just to be able to play games. plus consoles are so significantly cheaper.

in fact why does pc gaming still exist?

because you cant play pc gamres on a couch with friends while relaxing, and you have to upgrade every two months just to be able to play games. plus consoles are so significantly cheaper.

in fact why does pc gaming still exist?

washd123

Looking at the thread title made me think "Oh boy... this can't be serious".

Now I regret checking it out.

yep, people will sure forget playstation, xbox and nintendo, so many retarded threadsruthless12

I would notice..

It's actually quite plainly obvious. For most people who can't afford or don't want an expensive PC to do satisafy their entertainment needs, a console is a cheap and simple solution. Most people would take a console if they're there, but if they weren't they'd forget about gaming altogether.

In other words its either game or no game. If consoles didn't exist, a load of my mates wouldn't bother with gaming at all, they'd have no interest in PC gaming in the slightest.

And consoles provide a more sociable gaming experience as one gentleman already mentioned.

Fine, let us help OP out then, shall we?

Consoles exist, because they have an ease of use PCs do not have, It is true that everything a console can, a PC can atleast aswell.

But PCs do require some maintenance (and no you really do not need to buy new hardware every few month, seems to be worth with consoles at this point tbh). Which alot of people do not want, so the Console exist to please the people who want to game, but do not want the hazzle of maintaining, and keep drivers up to date.

The Irony is that this gen there is only 1 company that really made a console, which was Nintendo, both the PS3 and 360 struck me as "PC light" basicly focusing on the same games PC always have, and tryied to build in some of the advantages of a PC. To varrying degrees of sucess.

Still both the 360 and PS3 is indeed a good pick for people who do not have the time to spend on PC (in my view the only real reason anyone would pick a console is "time"). Easy to use, easy to maintain, pretty much idiotproof, so very low chance of the user messing up something up that would breat the thing, unless they really went out of thier way to do so.

So the Consoles due to reasons of most other modern things "while not needed, it fits a role nothing else can do"

Cheaper offset price (altho potentially more expencive in the long haull), easier to use (none debatable), selfmaintaining (mostly none debatable), and takes far less time overall (since there is no upkeep).

Ido see However that Consoles are likely to die out, the way they are headed, in the sence we think of consoles anyways. They will likely become more and more like an universalentertainment system, integrading alot of thingsthat has 0 worthas a gaming console, tv shows, recorder, movie player, andan overall excellent library keeper. So they DO fill a spot ina great deal of peoples life.

Ofcourse a PC can do that, but since the PC is an universal tool, which cando pretty much what you want of it, due to its modular nature, it is also more complex.

*Breathes out* And no this is not a "Console gamers are dumb"post, after a long days work, it is the fewest people who wants to go home and fiddle with a pc, they just want to slap a game in, and have it play, no hazzle, no worry. Fairly logical, in my oppinion, despiteme beinga PCgamer mainly (do have a PS3, and whatya know, I use it as a universal media center in the livingroom, altho not gaming on it as much :s (due to reasons NOT directly related)

Market realities. I won't deny that the code that runs on a console could be compiled and executed on a PC. However, a console is designed for a specific purpose, and with a limited subset of connected devices in mind, and by tailoring to this known set, the user experience can be made as simple as possible, and features which would go unused on PCs become justifiable.

Take a simple act like starting up: on my PC, I have to wait for the entire OS to start up (since Windows has no way of knowing that I intend to play a game this time, and therefore most of what's loading is not needed), and then sign in and enter a password (you can run without one, but it'd be extremely vulnerable). If I'm hooked up to my home theater, I also have to set the input that the PC is on. On my PS3, I hit a button. Done. The PS3 needs only to load its own firmware, does not require a password to play, and automatically sets my receiver and TV to the proper inputs via HDMI-CEC. Yes, a PC could do that if it were stripped down to run a gaming-only OS, but I don't think PC gamers are going to give up flexibility for simplicity.

Then there's identity management: On PC, I have a Steam account, an EA account, and a Battle.net account. On PS3, I have a PSN account - that's it. One identity, one friends list, one password, one repository for licensed content. Yes, a PC could do that if all developers agreed on a single system, but I don't think PC gamers are going to give up freedom of choice for simplicity.

I could continue on with the list of things I like about consoles, but the story is always the same - yes, the PC could conceivably do everything I want a gaming platform to do. It doesn't, and it never will, because PC gamers don't want their gaming platform to do those things. That's why consoles exist - does that answer your question?

consoles complement PC's very well. today i have been playing Starcraft 2, Red Dead Redemption and Super mario galaxy 2. ALL fantastic games. stop being elitist and just play games

Consoles could die and no one would notice. Think about it we got cameras because they are good at taking pictures, video cameras because they are good at taking videos. On the other hand we got consoles for what? Everything a console can do a PC could do it 10 times better. Contrary to that a dedicated camera takes better pictures than a mobile phone. So what are consoles good for?

MK-Professor

I don't know about the whole "Everything a console can do a PC could do it 10 times better" part but some of us don't like using a keyboard to play a video game. Plus PCs don't get some of the really good games that consoles get.

Fine, let us help OP out then, shall we?

Consoles exist, because they have an ease of use PCs do not have, It is true that everything a console can, a PC can atleast aswell.

But PCs do require some maintenance (and no you really do not need to buy new hardware every few month, seems to be worth with consoles at this point tbh). Which alot of people do not want, so the Console exist to please the people who want to game, but do not want the hazzle of maintaining, and keep drivers up to date.

The Irony is that this gen there is only 1 company that really made a console, which was Nintendo, both the PS3 and 360 struck me as "PC light" basicly focusing on the same games PC always have, and tryied to build in some of the advantages of a PC. To varrying degrees of sucess.

Still both the 360 and PS3 is indeed a good pick for people who do not have the time to spend on PC (in my view the only real reason anyone would pick a console is "time"). Easy to use, easy to maintain, pretty much idiotproof, so very low chance of the user messing up something up that would breat the thing, unless they really went out of thier way to do so.

So the Consoles due to reasons of most other modern things "while not needed, it fits a role nothing else can do"

Cheaper offset price (altho potentially more expencive in the long haull), easier to use (none debatable), selfmaintaining (mostly none debatable), and takes far less time overall (since there is no upkeep).

Ido see However that Consoles are likely to die out, the way they are headed, in the sence we think of consoles anyways. They will likely become more and more like an universalentertainment system, integrading alot of thingsthat has 0 worthas a gaming console, tv shows, recorder, movie player, andan overall excellent library keeper. So they DO fill a spot ina great deal of peoples life.

Ofcourse a PC can do that, but since the PC is an universal tool, which cando pretty much what you want of it, due to its modular nature, it is also more complex.

*Breathes out* And no this is not a "Console gamers are dumb"post, after a long days work, it is the fewest people who wants to go home and fiddle with a pc, they just want to slap a game in, and have it play, no hazzle, no worry. Fairly logical, in my oppinion, despiteme beinga PCgamer mainly (do have a PS3, and whatya know, I use it as a universal media center in the livingroom, altho not gaming on it as much :s (due to reasons NOT directly related)

Maddie_Larkin

Exactly. I don't know of a single Nintneod exclusive that's on the PC.

The Real Question is Why don't Arcades exist anymore?

Consoles exist because PC is not good enough for many people.

consoles exist for the certain fact that they make money. do you think in your illogical mind that consoles were invented to harass PC's. It's what it sounds like to me. Just except the fact that consoles make money on games. Its a multi billion dollar market. Just a thought. Where is all this moeny going to?

They exist because millions of people want and/or own them maybe?

The Real Question is Why don't Arcades exist anymore?

LegatoSkyheart

For multiple reasons.

1. As home consoles got more advanced Arcades lost the one advantage they had during the 70s, 80s, and most of the 90s; graphics.
2. Companies stopped making Arcade games.
3. They milk you now at the arcades. I went to a bowling ally arcade and I saw a Ms. Pac-man/Galaga machine and it costed $1.50 just to play. I was like "What the hell! They want to pay $1.50 to play a 30 year old game?"

Why does PC gaming still exist I wonder? Today there isn't a notable difference like before in terms of power, even if you have the most powerful PC ever certain console games are damn close, and that also poses the problem of having the most powerful $2000 rig which would require constant upgrades to stay on top. Most PC's can't handle Crysis on max settings while every PS3 can handle Killzone 2 at its most powerful.

Plus there isn't as much incentive for devs to even make PC games unless it is a genre or well known series like the RTS game Starcraft II where the primary fanbase is on the PC. Without a specific company behind PC's like with consoles, you won't see the effort you see in the much higher console population. Just as well a variety of games like Fighters, platformers and racing games are just straight up more numerous and of better quality on consoles where people who enjoy those games can play them. Do PC's even have fighting games?

Finally, its not only way cheaper to experience the best gaming can offer on consoles, its also much more consumer friendly and offers features like splitscreen and console exclusives not available on the PC.

So tell me, with all these good things consoles have going for them why does PC gaming exist? Most companies like Valve and DICE are moving towards the console crowd and last I checked PC didn't have too many AAA titles lately other than Starcraft II.

[QUOTE="LegatoSkyheart"]

The Real Question is Why don't Arcades exist anymore?

Demonjoe93

For multiple reasons.

1. As home consoles got more advanced Arcades lost the one advantage they had during the 70s, 80s, and most of the 90s; graphics.
2. Companies stopped making Arcade games.
3. They milk you now at the arcades. I went to a bowling ally arcade and I saw a Ms. Pac-man/Galaga machine and it costed $1.50 just to play. I was like "What the hell! They want to pay $1.50 to play a 30 year old game?"

No I fully understand why there are no Arcades I just wish there were still some cause nothing beats playing Ultimate MK3 at an Arcade.

The Real Question is Why don't Arcades exist anymore?

LegatoSkyheart

Also there's a pretty big arcade place near where I live, I'm not sure how updated it is but last I heard, it had games like SFIV and stuff.

[QUOTE="Demonjoe93"]

[QUOTE="LegatoSkyheart"]

The Real Question is Why don't Arcades exist anymore?

LegatoSkyheart

For multiple reasons.

1. As home consoles got more advanced Arcades lost the one advantage they had during the 70s, 80s, and most of the 90s; graphics.
2. Companies stopped making Arcade games.
3. They milk you now at the arcades. I went to a bowling ally arcade and I saw a Ms. Pac-man/Galaga machine and it costed $1.50 just to play. I was like "What the hell! They want to pay $1.50 to play a 30 year old game?"

No I fully understand why there are no Arcades I just wish there were still some cause nothing beats playing Ultimate MK3 at an Arcade.

I miss the Arcades too. Be nice to play a game like Soulcalibur IV there. Or maybe they could start doing retro arcades where they have old arcade games like Joust and Defender in them. That would be nice.

I miss arcades :(

because you cant play pc gamres on a couch with friends while relaxing, and you have to upgrade every two months just to be able to play games. plus consoles are so significantly cheaper.

in fact why does pc gaming still exist?

washd123

Consoles could die and no one would notice. Think about it we got cameras because they are good at taking pictures, video cameras because they are good at taking videos. On the other hand we got consoles for what? Everything a console can do a PC could do it 10 times better. Contrary to that a dedicated camera takes better pictures than a mobile phone. So what are consoles good for?

MK-Professor

The reason consoles exist is very simple. It comes down to cost and convenience. Consoles are that 'low cost out of the box ready to use appliance'.

The PC gamers here often argue that building your own rig is not as complicated as it seems at first, that it can be learned by anybody. And yes, they are right about this. But you want to know the truth? THAT DOESN'T MATTER.

Even if the perception of building your own PC is wrong, that's not the point. What is the point is that the general consumer doesn't WANT to build it themselves, even if they thought they were capable of learning and taking the time to do it themselves, it's more a matter of "why should they in the first place"? The frame of mind is that Pcs are just another electronic appliance, categorized like stereo systems, microwave ovens, MP3 players, VCRs, DVD players and so on. They don't expect to build their own movie player or music player, and that's what they expect from the device they want to use for home productivity. There's plenty of stores that carry these devices in boxes on shelves, and they just want to take it home, take it out of the box and it's ready to use.

The minute you introduce the need for a tool kit to be able to assemble something, it's perceived in a whole new light. Right or wrong about the complexity of the procedure, it's no longer the convenient ready to use device, and that's not what they wanted in the first place. This hasn't even taken into consideration the expanded shopping list of buying each component separately and the product knowledge needed for each one to understand the requirements from the variety of brands and models out there. Like I said, you can argue that it can be learned all you want, in the end it won't matter. It comes down to the expectation. If it's for entertainment, it should be convenient.

The other factor the PC vs Console debate hinges on is expense. And again it is true that PC gaming does NOT require an initial investment of $4500, nor the bi-annual upkeep of $400 in upgrades. All the prices that hermits have quoted here, being about $200-300 more than consoles, are accurate. Buuuuuuuuut... every one of those quotes have made one assertion, that the PC in question is self built, which again, is against the general consumer's expectation.

This is the big Catch 22. For that consumer crowd to get into PC gaming it's either:

A) to get it at the cost they want, they need to go to more trouble than their willing to
B) they do have the option to get a PC capable rig at a store and is ready out of the box, but that option is 3X more than a console

If you understand the expectations of the general consumer, you then understand why the market for consoles exist in the first place. They are the balanced package of low cost and ready to use convenience. Oh and what ever technical superiority Pcs hold over consoles, again to the average gamer it doesn't matter. The current generation of consoles more than satisfies the eye candy cravings. Only in forums to people nit pick over resolutions and textures. That is completely immaterial in the real world.

[QUOTE="MK-Professor"]

Consoles could die and no one would notice. Think about it we got cameras because they are good at taking pictures, video cameras because they are good at taking videos. On the other hand we got consoles for what? Everything a console can do a PC could do it 10 times better. Contrary to that a dedicated camera takes better pictures than a mobile phone. So what are consoles good for?

Teufelhuhn

I'll bet it's the first one. LOL!

[QUOTE="MK-Professor"]

Consoles could die and no one would notice. Think about it we got cameras because they are good at taking pictures, video cameras because they are good at taking videos. On the other hand we got consoles for what? Everything a console can do a PC could do it 10 times better. Contrary to that a dedicated camera takes better pictures than a mobile phone. So what are consoles good for?

Teufelhuhn

to save the world

[QUOTE="Teufelhuhn"]

[QUOTE="MK-Professor"]

Consoles could die and no one would notice. Think about it we got cameras because they are good at taking pictures, video cameras because they are good at taking videos. On the other hand we got consoles for what? Everything a console can do a PC could do it 10 times better. Contrary to that a dedicated camera takes better pictures than a mobile phone. So what are consoles good for?

siLVURcross

Because the effort it takes to PC game exceeds the effort that some people want to spend on gaming is probably the correct effort. That and ease of use on consoles is pretty damn good.

I like the simplicity of consoles. I have never had to look at the back of a PS3 game to see if I have the minimum requirements to run it. If it says its for the PS3, odds are that it will work.

[QUOTE="siLVURcross"]

[QUOTE="Teufelhuhn"]

There's 2 possible explanations:

1. There's a grand conspiracy involving Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, the US Government, the La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo, NASA, all retailers, leprechauns, and unicorns to trick everyone into buying consoles and console games instead of only buying PC games.

2. People like consoles and playing games on them.

I'm still not sure which one it is...I still need to do more research.

Teufelhuhn

Yeah! It's those damn leprechauns and unicorns! Also the US Government is part of this mad plan too!

[QUOTE="siLVURcross"]

[QUOTE="Teufelhuhn"]

There's 2 possible explanations:

1. There's a grand conspiracy involving Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, the US Government, the La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo, NASA, all retailers, leprechauns, and unicorns to trick everyone into buying consoles and console games instead of only buying PC games.

2. People like consoles and playing games on them.

I'm still not sure which one it is...I still need to do more research.

Teufelhuhn

*lines up Teuf in his sniper crosshairs*

I have the subject in my sights, awaiting the order.

[QUOTE="siLVURcross"]

[QUOTE="Teufelhuhn"]

There's 2 possible explanations:

1. There's a grand conspiracy involving Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, the US Government, the La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo, NASA, all retailers, leprechauns, and unicorns to trick everyone into buying consoles and console games instead of only buying PC games.

2. People like consoles and playing games on them.

I'm still not sure which one it is...I still need to do more research.

Teufelhuhn

I'd probably quit gaming if consoles were off the map. Or at least be less enthusiastic about it.

The red dot of death symbolizes the Eye of Horus. The Illuminati control Microsoft. :cry:SparkyProtocol

Becuase they are simple and cheaper than the pc

I am taking a huge risk by posting that...but the people need to know!!!Teufelhuhn

The same reason a £40 camera exists alongside a £4,000 one ...

Why get the £40 one when the other one does the same things bu far better?

I like the simplicity of consoles. I have never had to look at the back of a PS3 game to see if I have the minimum requirements to run it. If it says its for the PS3, odds are that it will work.

T-Aldous

The same reason a £40 camera exists alongside a £4,000 one ...

Why get the £40 one when the other one does the same things bu far better?

-Snooze-

Because PC's are a pain in the ass, is this a joke thread? It's not even funny BTW :roll:

Consoles exist because PC is not good enough for many people.

aroxx_ab

Yeahm, agreeable.

[QUOTE="-Snooze-"]

The same reason a £40 camera exists alongside a £4,000 one ...

Why get the £40 one when the other one does the same things bu far better?

SamiRDuran

Your point? It'd be very hard for you to build a PC capable of Uncharted 3 graphics with £230

Price is why consoles are around.

Find me a pc that can play the best looking 360 game for 199.99

people who play consoles are probably content with paying dell or hp the same amount they could've built a capable pc for. they also dont mind paying a lot more for their games and paying for online service. yet they still think they're saving money...

because you cant play pc gamres on a couch with friends while relaxing, and you have to upgrade every two months just to be able to play games. plus consoles are so significantly cheaper.

washd123

Because developers are doing horrible jobs at optimization.

I've got a computer with hardware from 2008 and it can play these games with better performance than an Xbox 360 or Playstation 3.

-Bioshock 2
-Mass Effect series
-Singularity
-Wolfenstein
-Orange Box
-Left 4 Dead 2
-Fallout 3
-Batman:AA
-AVP 2010

Yeah, the list goes on.