Why Everyone Should Have a Desktop Gaming PC
These days Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 are all the rage, and in a few years new consoles will take their place. While the world at large embraces console gaming, there is a core group of gamers who eschew it. These are the hardcore PC gamers. Their stance is simple: the PC is a superior gaming platform in every way but one: it’s not ‘turn on and play’ simple. Other than that, PCs beat consoles hands down. Here are a few reasons why:
Cutting Edge Technology: PCs are built from components which can be swapped out and upgraded with relative ease. Whether there is an advance in processing power, video graphics rendering or any other aspect of gaming it’s usually available for PCs first. Console systems are often cutting edge on release, but within a few months they are already lagging behind new components released for PCs. This means that PC games can push hardware further and provide even more fantastic, surreal, or ultra-realistic experiences for gamers. The PC gives game developers a platform that can take their projects to new heights in any direction they desire, and PC game releases often take advantage of the extra computing power.
Size Matters: Console games are currently DVD based and DVDs can only hold so much data. PCs run software off their hard drives and can install games that span multiple discs. That means games developed for PC can take up more space. This does not always come into play, and it may not even really prove to be an advantage for many games. However, there have been more than a few notable releases for PC that contained extra content or additional missions which were left out of console versions.
Customization Rocks!: Consoles are designed to be conformist. Every game for the Xbox 360 uses the same controller. They may use different control schemes, or even offer a selection of control options to players, but it’s not the same. Nor does the variety of 3rd party controllers manage to span the void between console and PC. If you prefer a hand held controller there are literally dozens of completely different controllers to choose from. Some are similar to familiar console controllers, some are completely unique. To take this to the extreme, gamers who enjoy flight simulators can purchase controllers that simulate virtually an entire airplane cockpit, if you have the money to spend. Even for those who have no interest in such things, many find the basic keyboard and mouse control scheme gives them far greater control over their games compared to a hand held controller. Not only that, but keyboards offer an enormous array of additional control options because each key can function as a controller button.
If you consider yourself a hardcore console gamer, try getting yourself an extreme gaming PC. That is about as hardcore as it gets.