Advantages of playing on PC vs. console: why the computer is better at almost everything
Since consoles exist, there has been a constant debate between its users and PC users. Each of them maintains that their entertainment system is the best way to run video games. However, the passage of time and the introduction of new technologies in the field of personal computers has made it increasingly clear that the superior option to enjoy a video game is the PC. And even though consoles will allow us to have a team to play for quite a few years for a modest price, the technology used in PC is always ahead of us.
Precisely, this argument that we have just mentioned is one of the most repeated in this debate: for about 300 euros, a user can have a team to play for quite a few years. And the reason is not lacking for those who defend this kind of ideology. However, not all that glitters in this market is gold. And one thing that justifies what we have just said is the fact that, in the market today, there are consoles with very different yields between them, within the same generation. With some, we can play in a more or less acceptable way to the last games that come out for the platform, while, with the others, our options to play will be smaller. Or, to put it another way, a user who had bought the first initial console model would now be forced to buy the second model. But a PC user, all he would have had to do was change the graphics card.
The console operating system does not have to deal with as many processes as on a computer.
Speaking of the graphics card, it is well known that consoles are often models that are lower in performance than those mounted on the PC. Yes, it is true that working in a closed ecosystem, where you only have to move a game, and with an operating system that serves only for that and to watch movies, plays in your favor. Because, unlike desktop systems that simultaneously run hundreds of processes, consoles require a lower workload. That’s why processors and graphics cards don’t have to be the latest models.
As is easy to see, the graphical quality of the console is inferior to that of the PC. To keep performance within specific parameters, consoles are forced to take shortcuts in the quality of graphics. Not that their graphics are wrong, they are not, but if you want good graphics, your only option is to play on the PC.
Which brings us to another aspect of the consoles is not realizable: the use of panels with a refresh rate variable (VRR, Variable Refresh Rate). The consoles are designed so that they can move the games to about 60 FPS, which is a relatively acceptable rate of FPS (when they get to this figure, of course). However, with a personal computer, we can make the game move to quite more FPS and use a panel that is compatible with the AMD Free Sync or NVIDIA G-Sync technologies. Thanks to these technologies, it dramatically improves the image quality of the games.
Another aspect you can choose with a personal computer is this very issue of quality. With the console, you will always have a predefined type of graphic quality. On the other hand, with a personal computer, you can choose the class you want to see on the screen, depending on the performance provided by the graphics card. Taking into account that, many times, console games are trumpeting in certain scenes that become difficult to render, with a personal computer you would not have this problem except punctual downloads.
On a PC you can play any game how old it is
Another aspect that is often not dealt with in this type of article is the backward compatibility of the PC platform versus that of consoles. Just as every time they jump from a generation of consoles to a new generation occurs, there are always many games that can no longer be played with the latest generation; this is not the case with the PC. It is true that, for some ancient games, we may be forced to look for an emulator for our personal computer, but it is as simple as that: we will not have wasted our money. Unfortunately, this is not the case with consoles. If you want to play a game you loved from the original Xbox on the Xbox One; you’re probably not going to be able to do it.
Which brings us to another aspect that is interesting about the PC: the PC serves more things than the console. If you have a console, you will be forced, by necessity, to have also a personal computer to do all the tasks that the console cannot carry out. Therefore, you will have spent the 300 or 400 euros of the console, plus another 500 or 600 euros on the whole personal computer. Not to mention that you will have two separate devices (and the corresponding space they occupy).
Then there is the price of games that, usually, although in the launch are often quite even between each other, indeed, the prices of games for PC typically start to fall faster, in a more distinct and much faster way. However, the number of console games can take quite a few months to begin falling to lower prices. Not to mention that for PC we have several online shops where we can buy our games, something that is lacking for the console. This is a type of flexibility that benefits PC users rather than users of other entertainment systems.