Become A PC Gamer:
When it comes to gaming, there are few arguments as likely to whip up a fury on all sides like some good old-fashioned console vs PC. That isn’t what this article is about. If you like playing your platform of choice, then more power to you. Nowadays, more people are switching between platforms for different experiences than ever. This time, we’re looking at why the PC is a more tantalizing option than ever before.
Standards are rising across the board:
Did anyone see Microsoft’s conference at this year’s E3? When they were talking about the fidelity of the new Xbox One X, do you remember the talking points they kept coming back to again and again? 4K resolution and 60 frames-per-second. Technical details that might seem like just more showboating, but to PC gamers, it was vindication. It’s been a graphical standard that PC gamers have been arguing for in the market at large and with a gaming PC built just for you, many are even exceeding those standards. But the fact that consoles are starting to market them as selling points means that audiences, in general, are becoming aware of just how graphically inferior the average console has been this whole time.
Ports and ports galore:
PCs are getting more games than ever before, too. Publishers who would have never dreamed of releasing to that market have suddenly seen the swell of players on home computers and decided to port their games over. Yes, some of those ports are notoriously terrible because they’ve been handed off to other studios or they come with invasive anti-piracy software that actually makes the game perform worse. But there are more examples of ports that prove superior on the PC than console. Nowadays, it’s easy to hook up the majority of video game controllers to the computer, too, meaning that the fears of being stuck to the traditional mouse-and-keyboard arrangement are entirely unfounded.
For some genres, it’s simply better:
That’s not to say that there aren’t times that the traditional setup isn’t better, either. There are a few genres where PC gaming has always ruled the roost. Even as Halo and, later, Call of Duty 4 swept the console market with revived interest in FPS games, the PC has always allowed for faster gunplay, sharper movements, and a larger player base. To take one massively popular example, 64% of all Overwatch players are using PC, while the remaining 36% is the combined share of both Xbox One and PS4 players. Consoles have been making forays into RTS, too, with series like Halo Wars, but that’s another genre where the mouse and keyboard means it’s simply better on a home computer or laptop.
Consoles are losing their edge:
This isn’t to say that consoles are getting worse than PCs, but there is something to be said about the fact that they’re losing their real unique value. For instance, one of the benefits of buying a console for a single generation was that you didn’t have to upgrade it to get the best visual results in the generation. However, the Xbox One’s evolution to the Xbox One S and Xbox One X show that this is no longer the reality. Similarly, it’s no longer a reality that you can simply start playing a console game as soon as you play it by inserting the disk. Frequent downloads and day-one patches are becoming a more common occurrence. With that, the console is losing two of the major edges it had over PC gaming in the first place.
The only place you don’t have to pay to play online:
Many people are still (reasonably) upset that online console gaming services like the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live require a subscription to play online. However, many of the same games can be playing online on PC without any additional cost. There are some expected justifications from those running Sony and Microsoft as to why you should be paying for an experience you get for free on PC. Promised new features and levels of connectivity never before seen, but most have become aware that these promises simply haven’t been fulfilled or have just forgotten about them.
The shifting of the market means that the true qualities of PC gaming are being recognized while it gets more games and consoles lose the advantage they’re supposed to offer. The trends show that PC gaming is growing again, too, meaning that the gamers are starting to take notice. All-in-all, it means there are few better years than 2017 to get into PC gaming.